I need HELP finding a doctor!! | ADHD Information

Hi guys, this is my first post.

I am 99% sure I have ADD/ADHD.  I have almost all the symptoms and my mind is a mess and I have 0 focus.  I could be talking to someone and have to stop mid sentence in akward places, having forgot what I was saying and take a few seconds to get back on track.  Or I might be intensly focusing on listening to someone but it's in one ear out the other.

I went to see my primary doctor who is a very good physician.  He told me that I would need to be tested before he could (or maybe the person testing me) could perscribe medication.  My Dr. said it might take a week just to find someone :(

Is there some way I can contact a specialist dr. on my own who can test for add and write perscriptions for me if needed.  I've had this problem for most of my life, however it is only becoming most obvious at this point in my life.  I'm in desperate need of help, for the sake of my work and marriage.

So can anyone help me to find a *good/qualified* doctor?  I live in New York City, so it shouldn't be too hard.

Thanks

AnonymousPoster39057.4360416667

A child psychiatrist might be a good place to start.  They tend to be the ones with the most experience with ADHD, and they do treat adults too.  If you're looking for a very thorough evaluation, try a neuropsychologist.  They tend to be expensive though, and our insurance did not cover our son's eval.  It was well worth the money for him because we wanted to rule out other learning disabilities.

If you go the child psychiatrist route, you can find a good one by calling your local children's hospital and asking. 

I almost forget- probably the easiet way too- www.chadd.org has a directory you can search.  A great place for info in general too.

Because I am so absent minded I forgot to include some important things.  About 2.5-3 months ago I was perscribed on Zoloft (or maybe Xanax?  can never remember)...
Took 50mg's a day about for 1.5 months and then 100's for abut .5 month.  Didn't work for me at all.

This was perscribed because my Dr. thought I was depressed and having anxiety/panic attacks and ADDish feelings were a side effect.

I feel that ADD is causing so much frustration that I might be a bit depressed from not being able to do basic things like read a freaking book!

I'm having a real bad day today in terms of organizing my thoughts so forgive me if my posts are hard to read.  Hope I did not forget anything this time.

Contact your local CHADD chapter and give them a call or look on their web site for local provider referrals. Only psychiatrists can write scripts...by psychologists have colleagues who are MDs. The idea about a child psych is an excellent one, too.

http://www.chadd.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_Local_CHAD D_Chapters

http://www.chadd.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search_Page

Thanks for the links all, but I still have not found a Dr. using these websites.  Can someone tell me what type of specialist I should look into seeing?

I want to look through my healthcare's site for practitioners in this specialty.  Is it a Neuro-(something)?

You can also go to psychologytoday.com and they have listings ... i think they have a link toward the bottom on the lefthand side of the page

Welcome Anonymous......I live in the suburbs of New York City. I don't know whether you live in Manhattan or not but if you do I recommend that you call the NYU Physciatry Department. Please feel free to pm me

NYU School of Medicine Adult ADHD Newsletter

[QUOTE=AnonymousPoster]

This was perscribed because my Dr. thought I was depressed and having anxiety/panic attacks and ADDish feelings were a side effect.

I feel that ADD is causing so much frustration that I might be a bit depressed from not being able to do basic things like read a freaking book!

[/QUOTE]

I don't really know what to do for you in terms of advice but I wanted to let you know that I also live in NYC and am looking for a doctor. all docs I've been to so far are skeptical about treating me for ADD because I'm doing well in school, and I have had anxiety problems for a long time. and what you said about reading a book, I know exactly what you mean. If I'm reading something I'm not interested in, I can't read it. If I'm interested, I can read, but a lot slower than normal.

I think you should try NYU...they're supposedly one of the best in the nation. I went to NY Presbyterian but the doctors there were among the ones who had concerns about my anxiety problems. I personally think I could just get them treated simultaneously, but it's not my word over the docs', I think I just have to find someone who is willing to try treating both (it must have happened to someone else before, right?). anyway, I can relate to your dilemma, so PM me if you want, it's great to see someone here in the area :-)

Try calling the area's Mental Health Services...(usually a County Department).  They should have a good list of doctors.  Its best to see a specialist for the disorder you suspect.  I saw a phsyciatrist when I first started suffering to the max from depression.  When anti-depressents & ECT-  (Electro-Convulsive Therapy or shock treatment) failed he began treating me for ADHD.