Diagnosed last week but still have doubts?

[tiss34]

Hello, My name is Alex

I am new to this forum – so nice to see so many positive topics and open people willing to share their thoughts and experiences.

I was diagnosed last week with ADHD (combined type), after going to therapy for 2 years and trying out different meds for depression/anxiety I was made aware of the symptoms of ADHD which on paper really seemed to fit with me. I was a bit sceptical however as I was under the impression I would had been picked up as a child (I am now 29) and even though a lot of symptoms were present in me as a younger person I was not “bouncing off the walls” so to speak…more so just hard to concentrate, forgetful, chatty etc..

Anyway I had to go to a private assessment centre in London (UK) as the NHS waiting list is really really long and my GP was a bit dismissive, the private assessment with an ADHD specialist came back with the diagnosis but it was basically just a chat about my past and then loads of questions from a sheet, many of which I either couldn’t really remember the answers to or seemed a bit vague…I dunno it just made me worry that maybe it can get misdiagnosed if it’s just a set of yes/no questions, didn’t seem massively thorough.

I’m not against the diagnosis, on the contrary it would take a load off my mind I think, but it seemed to rely a lot on me remembering how I react to stuff as a kid etc, felt like there could be a lot of room for error?

Wondering if anyone else had a similar experience or doubts after their assessments/diagnosis?

Thanks in advance 🙂
Al

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[caringchaotic]

Hi Alex

I can’t help much as I’m new to the forum too and don’t have a diagnosis but I have the same worries. I’m wondering whether to mention it to the GP but I know how awkward it is in the UK to get it investigated. It does sound a bit ambiguous but if it all makes sense for you then it might be helpful as regardless of whether you definitely have it or not (although I assume you have since it’s formally diagnosed), the sorts of support they might offer will probably be useful to whatever difficulties you are facing, whether they are from ADHD or ADHD type traits. And if you have meds prescribed I guess if they work it means you have it and if they don’t then it might be something else? But I’m sure the specialists know what they’re talking about as they will have had experience with lots of people who do have it. They’ll probably piece it all together from the history and how you seem in front of them.

It sounds promising that you’ve got some support for the specific problems you’re facing, or at least the diagnosis should help you access that support 🙂

Do you mind me asking how much it cost to go private?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by caringchaotic.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by caringchaotic.

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[caringchaotic]

Also, even if the questions to you seem like they might be unreliable, I’d imagine they would have tried them out on people with and without ADHD to make sure they don’t have false positives etc as I think stuff like that usually has to have set criteria in order to be valid as a clinical tool.

Having doubts is completely understandable. It’s a big diagnosis to come to terms with. But hopefully it will impact your life for the positive 🙂

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by caringchaotic.

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[tiss34]

Heya, thanks for the reply. I totally understand a reluctance to going to a GP, I did quite a lot of research and took in a few sheets of research with me and how that specifically related to me so I could back up my queries, I would say even though they were a little dismissive it is still worth talking to them, you may have a more open GP than me and if anything it forced my hand to going private for an assessment.

Where I live in London I paid £445 at the ADHD Center, there are other options but this was the one I found most “affordable” and with good reviews. Although It is not a cheap process at all, being able to be seen within a week is a relief if it is something you feel you need to find answers on to help move forward.

Thanks for the advice, as you say I have no doubt it has thorough testing and as they are specialists they are trained to pick up on the signs etc, just me wanting to make sure I understand and get my head around it, I think I tend to have a reluctance to accept things immediately 🙂

Good luck with your own journey, I hope you manage to find the answers you are looking for.

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[jlacroix]

It’s important to know that no two people experience ADHD the same way. Some are hyperactive, some are underactive, and others are some combination of the two. Mine is the underactive type, though I can sometimes talk a lot and get overly excited (but not always). From here I think the best thing to do is keep researching it.

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