GRR Highly Suspect I Am…BUT Questioning Assessment, She suspected otherwise

[moime3d]

Has this happened to you… how did you get another opinion? SO FRUSTRATED!

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[blackdog]

Hi @moime3d.

Can you give us a little more information? Are you talking about your doctor? Why are you/she questioning the assessment?

I can assure you we have all had frustrating experiences. My therapist has just recommended to my doctor that he refer me to another psychiatrist because the last one was an idiot. And he is pushing again to get me on Concerta (my choice of medication). I am also going to be looking at getting an official assessment, which I have never actually had because it’s expensive.

Hang in there, it will get better. The more you learn the more you will be able to find what you need.

P.S. I love your profile picture. I just sat here staring at it for a bit. Something about the colours and textures…..and mostly the way the leaves curl. I have a thing for swirly curly patterns.

Don’t mind me, it’s just my ADD. 🙂

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[skippingrock]

I really convinced that I have it and yet the psychiatrist I’ve been referred to for evaluation is telling me that I don’t. I score that I have it on the quizzes, I have lots of the habits, however I don’t have a lot of the hyperactive symptoms. My mom doesn’t think I had it. I’ve got a pretty good memory of my childhood and yet I no one believes me because I didn’t outwardly show a lot of the symptoms, I just held them inside and found “methods” to get it done…

Now in my late 30s, things just aren’t getting done anymore. The psych says it is just depression and anxiety, but I struggle with focus even when I’m feeling good. I do have mild sleep apnea and waking up with my young kids doesn’t help, but I just don’t believe that these other things really could be the cause of all of the similar ADD traits I exhibit.

Argh, rambling again.

Anyway, mom didn’t call me the absent minded professor for nothing.

I have a follow-up meeting with the Psych on Monday. Hope something good comes out of it because after the first one, I felt like crap, like she didn’t even hear what I was talking about nor let me go down my thoughts of what I wanted to share. Kept cutting me off.

Crud, I was going to say something with that point… umm… umm…
I forget.

Anyway, these antidepressants don’t work, make me more tired. Or maybe it’s the kids.

Oh yeah, I remember now. I just finished working on a project that I finished literally 5 minutes before I had to present it. The last 48 hours (I think I had 6 hours sleep since) have been very focussed and inspirational. Well, at times. The previous 2 or is it 3 weeks have been going home with the thought each day of “what the heck did I just do all day” and “why did I bother going in?” But my office looks really great and I’ve got these really cool meeting note sheets that I found on the web and printed out (double sided… you have to print twice and then use duplex 2 -> 1 mode). I turned my slot box to have “Things to take home”, “Things to do on arrival”, “Things to do on breaks”. I think its great… if I remember to use it.

Does anything I’m saying make sense? Wow, I wrote a lot. Was really focussed on doing it… but I think I’m supposed to be doing my timesheet right now, argh, it’s no fun when it’s not fun.
SkipR.

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[blackdog]

@skippingrock

Psychiatrists excel at making people feel like crap. It’s their purpose in life. 😉

Actually, there are good ones and bad ones, and some just don’t have a good understanding of ADHD. And without the more obvious symptoms, like hyperactivity, it is harder to diagnose. There is no one specific way to determine if it is ADHD or not because it presents differently in each person and there are so many other things that look like it.

The first stop is almost always depression and anxiety. That was the diagnosis I got the last time too. The best thing to do is go along with it. Take the antidepressants until you know for sure if they are working or not (at least 6-8 weeks). If depression is the problem, you should get better. If you get worse, then it may mean that it is ADHD. But it may also mean that you just need a different antidepressant.

If you have ADHD you were born with it and the signs should have been there right from the start. Ask siblings, friends, cousins, anyone who knew you as a child what they think. Write down some examples of behaviour from your childhood that show signs of ADHD. Then take all of that with you to your appointment.

Just keep at it until you find what works. The diagnosis is not as important as finding what will make you better. If you can’t get this psychiatrist to listen to you then ask your doctor for a referral to another one.

Good luck. 🙂

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[skippingrock]

@blackdog
Yeah, my doctor said she will refer me to another one; but she just wants to see what happens after this schedule meeting first since psychiatrists are so hard to get in to see.

What is frustrating for me, is that it is taking so long to find out what will work. My work is suffering. I just want to be “better”.

Thanks for the encouragement.

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[blackdog]

It does take time. Try to be patient. In the meantime, do what you can to make things better. Reduce the stress in your life, ask others for assistance, develop some coping strategies….

This is the point that I am at right now. Though I have known for many years that I have ADD/depression/anxiety, and probably one or two other things on top of that, I have never really done much about it. After the last time I lost my job I realized just how bad things have gotten. So I am working on getting more organized and getting myself together.

Or at least that is what I am supposed to be doing….

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[skippingrock]

I met with my psychiatrist yesterday and went through a more detailed historical survey. She really assured me that she really doesn’t think that I have ADD as I didn’t have any or enough of the signs to indicate that I had it as a child.

She said that I have depression with anxiety. I asked well why is it that so many of the symptoms of those with ADD seem to match bang on with what I’m experiencing right now? She said that there is a lot of overlap of similar symptoms of ADDers and Depression/Anxiety/Sleep Apnea suffers. Some of the tricks and tips may work for me as well and encourages me to try them, but in terms of medical treatment, they are different.

She has switched up my medication from Cipralex to Effexor XR. I’m not too happy about the dependency issues that this drug can have, but I need to see if this one works better.

Thanks @blackdog for helping, I guess I continue on my exploration. I wish you well as well in getting yourself together.

SkipR

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[kc5jck]

I really can’t speak to your having ADHD or not, but there are many who go undetected until they become adults.  I would say the majority on this site.  Among other reasons, a high IQ seems to help those afflicted escape detection through high school, sometimes college, and even the majority of their lives, not that they don’t have ADHD related problems.

When I look back on my childhood, I can see where anyone familiar with ADHD would have instantly singled me out.

As you learn more about ADHD and its effects, you may decide you don’t have it, or you may become more convinced that you do.  Regardless of your belief or diagnosis, it’s good to have you on the site, either as someone with ADHD or someone who can help others differentiate between ADHD and whatever similar problems you might have.

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[blackdog]

@skippingrock– I don’t know how the others feel, but I agree with kc5jck. You are welcome here, even if the diagnosis is not ADHD. There are many symptoms that overlap with depression/anxiety so you may still find a lot of information here applies to you. And you can still be helpful and supportive of others.

I don’t actually have a definite ADD diagnosis myself. My doctor is convinced that my inattention, procrastination, disorganization, etc. is being caused by my depression/anxiety. Which is odd since he was the one who first diagnosed my ADD and argued with me that I should take Ritalin when I didn’t want to.

Anyway, Effexor is a good medication and works well for many people who have ADHD. Just try to stick with it. It may be a little unpleasant at first. I wouldn’t worry too much about the dependancy issue unless you have had an issue with addiction in the past. And if it works it will change your life so it’s worth it.

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[Wgreen]

I know, I know. Some fellow “forum rats” are going to scowl——”Here goes Wgreen with another Russell Barkley clip.” But hey, work with me. This is a revelation. At about 45 minutes into this clip, Russ starts going off on ADD diagnostic tests. The whole thing is extremely interesting (and worth a look), but admittedly a bit long. So if you’re just curious about his take on the predictive relevance of (some) ADD testing, you might want to shuttle to the 45:00 mark and check out the last 15 minutes or so.

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[kc5jck]

@Wgreen – hey I think Russ rocks.  He’s like . . . straight non fiction.  And funny as a Vulcan!

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

I have a suggestion for anyone who is waiting on an assessment, or strongly suspects they have ADHD or ADD, but their Doctor doesn’t agree, or doesn’t understand that two subtypes, or thinks that you have to have ALL of the symptoms to qualify.

Okay, two suggestions.

First, learn as much as you can about the disorder. So when people say, “You didn’t talk a lot,” (Or whatever) you can explain that you may have the Purely Inattentive Subtype.

Second, start trying out some of the strategies for ADHD, the tools and tips and tricks you’ll find in our Forums, our free videos, and our two videos in the shop, ADD & Mastering It?! and “TotallyADD Tips For An Organized Life.” If those strategies seem to make a difference, then you have more evidence, plus, your life starts getting better. Your focus improves, you can stick to things, and that allows you to speed up your learning and educating. And it makes you more confident that you in fact qualify as ADHD.  Or ADD.

One last thought. You may not qualify. You might not be in the 4.4% of adults in terms of severity of the challenges and traits. Maybe you’re in the top 7% for Uneven Attention, Restlessness, Hyperactivity, Impatience, Impulsivity, Poor Working Memory, and so on. That still means you score high, higher than 11 out of 12 people. And it’s impacting your life.

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[blackdog]

@Rick – So, does not qualifying because you are not in the 4.4% mean that you don’t qualify for assistance, like Disability Support? What is the requirement for an official AD(H)D diagnosis?

My symptoms don’t seem to be as severe as most of the others here. And yet, I can relate to all of their comments on some level. Does this mean I don’t have ADD? Or just that I have learned to cope with it? This is what I have been asking myself for awhile now. There is no doubt that it is impacting my life. But is it severe enough for me to be called disabled? I don’t know.

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[skippingrock]

@Rick et al. The main reason that my psychiatrist doesn’t think that I have ADD is that I did well in school. That I had good grades and didn’t fail or have anything to indicate that I was inattentive. That anything ADD related would have shown up by the time that I was seven years old.

I don’t know… I remember my mom always saying that I had excellent hearing, but I had selective hearing. Maybe I’m just having selective remembering now.

Day #3 on my transition to Effexor XR, so far so good, forgot to take my pill yesterday at home, fortunately the pharmacy that I got them from was nearby and gave me a pill instead of making me go home.

Still don’t feel like working though…

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[blackdog]

AHHHHHH!!!!

“The main reason that my psychiatrist doesn’t think that I have ADD is that I did well in school…”

I can’t even read the rest of that before responding.

Your psychiatrist is severely misinformed. The last one I saw said the exact same thing to me and it’s a load of crap. Lots of people with ADD do well in school.

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