ADD/ADHD Testing | ADHD Information

I rember when someone first suggested that I might have ADD/ADHD.  I was almost a senior in college and I instantly researched as much as possible and remember crying when the stories and examples hit home.  I took adderall the last semester of my college career and got the highest grades in my whole college career.

I made the mistake at that time and over analyzing myself and because of my ADD I would have times that I would take on way to many projects, crash, build back to normal, take on to many projects, and crash again.  In short I thought I recognized a bi-polar pattern and after a 15 minute session with psychiatrist I was put on depekote to control my "mania".  In short I just gained a TON of weight (the heaviest I've been in my life - for a tall athletic guy) - even got stretch marks from the weight I put on.  I ended up quiting the medication and made a promise to myself to stop the burnout cycle.  I became very borning and only accepting doing things that HAD to be done.  What happened is that the cycles stopped because I didn't try to be out going and it turned out to be a crappy coping mechanism because it lead to parent/child relationship with my wife :(

A year ago, my wife and I went into councilling and after a couple of sessions, said that I most definately had ADD and should get back on medication for it.  I started taking adderall and it made a huge difference.  I even started ADD coaching (started out strong, but didn't follow through with it)

To get to my point, my wife is now going to therapy for her childhood issues and has asked me to go get "formal" ADD/ADHD testing to make sure that I actually have it.  (she still isn't sold that I do)  I'm just wondering what consists on 'formal' testing.  I've done a bunch of 1 to 5 surveys where you rate yourself on a bunch of different criteria to show if you have ADD traits, but nothing really 'formal'.  I'm just curious to get others input on the subject of testing for ADD/ADHD.

I had the usual twenty questions, plus a little test on a computer that was a bit like that old fairground game, the one where you find the pea under the walnut shells - only instead of shells it was blue squares on the screen.  The test started with three, and I had to guess which square the 'pea' was under (and the pea never appeared in the same place twice).  The difficulty gradually increases as more and more blue squares are added, up to about twelve (if I remember correctly).

I could do it with three squares most times, but anything above that and I was lost. 

Mark -

I have my first appointment with a psychiatrist this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.