My question is: What kind of a doctor should I be seeking out? Should I see a neurologist, a psychiatrist, or someone else? And how does one really know if a doctor has experience in dealing with ADHD? (I get the impression that every psychiatrist thinks he can treat ADHD, but I don't know if that's really true). Should I just continue with the "let's try every drug until we see what works" method that the psychiatrist is using or is there a better way?
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There are a bunch of bad pdocs out there. I suggest you interview em before making an appointment. Or at least interview their nurse/assistant. A pdoc with an office staff that can really answer questions has a good chance of being competent. Questions I have asked:
1) Do you diagnose adult ADHD and prescribe stimulant medications for it?
2) How many patients with ADULT ADHD do you treat currently?
3) If a doc doesn't take the time to explain my treatment to my satisfaction - I am outta there. I don't have to like the reasons but I need to know what they are. I am the one in charge of my life, not the pdoc.
4) Anybody with a "try and see" approach through more than a couple of med trials starts losing my trust.
5) If there is more than one condition going on (ADHD and depression) it is a good idea to get the depression fixed first, so you don't start paying attention to your own misery. *yuck*
I am an impatient person, and I want results. However, it is hopefully their job to have professional, objective judgment. I finally found a pdoc that is serious about fixing the problem while being careful with med changes.
Good luck, let us know how it goes!
You may try contacting a local chapter of CHADD (www.chadd.org). They can get you in touch with psychiatrists (and MDs and neurologists) that are trusted by the local members.
Also - you may want to voice your concerns to your psychiatrist. If you don't feel comfortable talking about your concerns to the person you need to trust so much that may be a good indication you aren't in the right place. Any good psychiatrist will help you understand what they are doing or get you in touch with a colleague for a second opinion.
Does anyone believe there is any reason that I should consult a psychologist? I remember when I was a teenager, my father took me to a psychologist because he knew something was wrong with me. But the psychologist only referred me to a psychiatrist because he thought I needed medicine.
[QUOTE=GlenW]You may try contacting a local chapter of CHADD (www.chadd.org). They can get you in touch with psychiatrists (and MDs and neurologists) that are trusted by the local members.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the reference, Glen. I went to the site and looked in the support group directory. There is no chapter listed for my immediate area (which is strange because I live in a heavily populated suburb of a major city). However, there is one about 60 miles away and I sent an email to the person who heads the group.
I'm trying to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment for what I believe to be a bad case of ADHD (in myself). But I'm not sure where I should start. Actually, I have started seeing a psychiatrist, but I'm not sure if he's any good. I get the impression that he is trying a shotgun approach. In other words, he's just prescribing drug after drug until something works (we hope). The psychiatrist knows that I have many of the symptoms of ADHD. But he thinks I might have depression which is said to sometimes mimic some of the symptoms of ADHD. As for me, I think it's the other way around. That is, I think that my depression is caused by the fact my ADHD symptoms have made my life so difficult and unproductive.
I believe that my problem is a physiological one rather than something which is induced by a reaction to outward circumstances, because it never changes regardless of whether things are going well in my life (or not) and it's something I've had since childhood. But I've had blood tests done and even an MRI scan on my brain and everything appears to be normal.
My question is: What kind of a doctor should I be seeking out? Should I see a neurologist, a psychiatrist, or someone else? And how does one really know if a doctor has experience in dealing with ADHD? (I get the impression that every psychiatrist thinks he can treat ADHD, but I don't know if that's really true). Should I just continue with the "let's try every drug until we see what works" method that the psychiatrist is using or is there a better way?
What really matters is if the professional actually knows how to DX and treat AD/HD. People really need to do their homework first before going to somebody. There are way too many professionals out there who claim the know about ADD but really don't.
[QUOTE=sdinenno]Does anyone believe there is any reason that I should consult a psychologist? I remember when I was a teenager, my father took me to a psychologist because he knew something was wrong with me. But the psychologist only referred me to a psychiatrist because he thought I needed medicine.[/QUOTE]
Psychologist are helpful as coaches or therapist but can't prescribe meds if you need them, I'd go to a psychiatrist.