Hi there everyone, my name is Jenifer, and I'm a 21-year-old community college student. I'm so happy to find that there's a forum specifically for Adult ADHD patients, not just kids.
To start off with, I have not been actually diagnosed with ADHD. Like so many other internet-junkie youth of my generation, I'm more-or-less self-diagnosing this. However, let me state that this isn't just a case of "hey, I fit wikipedia's profile so it must be true," I've been researching it over and over for weeks now. There are a lot of symptoms of ADHD that I do have, but some of them I don't.
But regardless of how I came to this curious conclusion, everyone here at some point came to the conclusion that something was wrong with them and they needed to see their doctor. How did you go about doing it?
I love my primary physician, I've been seeing him since I was 15, but he's very blunt. I'm afraid that, if I voice these concerns to him, he'll dismiss it as nothing. I have a neurologist as well (for migraines), but I know that's not really his specialty. When I was 16, for about eight months, I saw a therapist for almost the same problems I'm having now, and she said I was fine. I believed her and stopped seeing her under the assumption that I was just being a hormonal high school kid, that it was normal and it would pass. But now that I'm getting older, I see my life tumbling out from under me because of some unknown problem, and my best assumption is that its ADHD.
What do you guys think I should do in order to get a real evaluation and diagnosis?
Edit: Sorry for being so vague on what my symptoms and reasons for thinking I have ADHD are. Like my reservations about telling my primary physician, I'm worried of being shot down, of being told that my problems are just me being whiny or weak. Plus, after having researching this for weeks and weeks, I'd be brokenhearted to find that all my work has been for naught and, if I'm wrong now, I don't know if I'd have the confidence to try searching for something else.
Tell your physician to send you for a full scale mental health evaluation. The kind that you do hours of filling in questionnaires and then spend some hours with a diagnosing psychologist/psychiatrist.
The college counselling department may also have access to testing facilities or be able to recommend you to a clinic.
Do NOT self-diagnose.
There can be many reasons that one can lack focus or have other signs that mimic ADHD symptoms. The symptoms of executive cognitive dysfunction show up in childhood--not teenage years.
Obviously, something is troubling you. You say that your life is "tumbling out from under you" for and that is reason enough to seek some answers and guidance.
We will welcome you back here, regardless of outcome--so keep us posted
[QUOTE=MetisRebel]
Tell your physician to send you for a full scale mental health evaluation. The kind that you do hours of filling in questionnaires and then spend some hours with a diagnosing psychologist/psychiatrist.
Do NOT self-diagnose.
[/QUOTE]
The only problem with this is, as I stressed, I have doubts that my physician will take such a thing seriously. And like I said, its not a true self-diagnosis; as of right now, I'm no different than any of the other forum members were when they first started their search for a diagnosis, whether they suspected it was ADHD or not. I wanted some constructive advice, not condescending.
More than that, I'd like to just hear stories of how other people worked up the courage to talk to their doctors about their concerns. There's a big leap between a hunch and examination, and I want to know how other made that leap so I can get there myself.
I also suggested that you ask the college counselling department for a recommended clinic if you are uncomfortable with your doctor. Please read what is written instead of jumping to conclusions.
Telling you to get a proper diagnosis is not "condescending" it's practical advice--which is what you were requesting. It is the same advice you are likely to receive from most of the board.
I cannot imagine a caring physician telling a troubled patient that s/he will not honor the request for a referral for mental health testing. If you don't have that much honesty with your doctor then perhaps it's time to look for another physician with whom you can build a more trusting relationship.
However you state you have good rapport with this doctor. What makes you think s/he won't take such a request seriously?
To put it bluntly, if you walk into your doc's office and tell him/her that you have ADHD, --especially at exam/study time, s/he is likely to assume you are looking for stimulants.
If you request a full mental health examination, then if ADHD is the problem, that will come through quite clearly as will any other underlying problems.
You also have the option of finding a mental health testing facility yourself then requesting a referral from your doctor.
I do not assume you are "whiny" or "weak" I am assuming, from what you said that there is some legitimate concern you are experiencing. That underlying problem may, or may not be ADHD.
That is for a professional diagnostician to decide.
Does your college have a "services to students with disabilities" department or similar? That's how I went about having my recent assessment done, which turned up ADHD as I had been suspecting it would for the past 11 or 12 years.
The SSD lady had a chat with me about my past experiences with school and life in general, then talked about the current problems I was having (this was only the second week of school, I was already starting to get overwhelmed!). She determined that there was something going on, and referred me to the provincial government department that helps with funding for people who may be struggling to get jobs or training.
The lady from there met with me to talk about more of the same stuff. She decided that my situation warranted a referral to a clinical psychologist for assessment. Another interview and six (exhausting!) hours of testing later: TADAAAA! The diagnosis I've been waiting for my whole life. As a bonus, they've also uncovered a mild learning disability (I'm not surprised) that explains why writing is such a monumental task for me.
I went to my GP years ago when I was 20 and in university and explained that I suspected ADD... he told me that since I was a fat, female high school graduate who managed to meet the entrance requirements for university and who could sit and read a book for hours, and since no one bothered to diagnose me as a child, I obviously did not have attention problems...
He decided I was depressed, and prescribed Zoloft, which made me manic, as well as worsening what I now know to be my ADHD and my anxiety, and then upped my dose when I complained about it... No referral to a councilor even, let alone a referral for an edu-psych assessment.
So yeah. I really strongly suggest looking at the resources your college may have available. You paid student fees for a reason.
|
Enter Your Email below to claim your Free Book |
Copyright© 2006 ADHDNews.com. All rights reserved