diagnosis unclear

[Anonymous]

Hello, I am new to the forum and am looking to get some opinion. First off I have not been diagnosed as being “ADD” but have all the symptoms of inattentive subtype along with being very impulsive. I find it extremely hard to get and stay organized long enough to complete tasks, struggle to pay attention to conversations and retain information when read. Also I lack social skills, few friends, and even my relationship with my parents is not so well. This is in Large part due to the fact that I’ve been told I look as though I am always on something or in other words “am not there”. Now 27 at 25 I sought councillors for a drinking problem and also saw a psychiatrist who after one session then said I was “bipolar” although he also said it was impossible to be diagnosed while drinking. Two years later and I drink occasionally and mostly out of the need for a sense of relief. At 22 I told my pdoc I thought I may be add and asked about medications. He said Ritalin was speed and gave me strattera without hesitation, which looking back on seemed pretty irresponsible. “Strattera” did nothing. I’ve also been on “effexor” just increased anxiety, and “zyprexa” which made me feel tired. I think depression and anxiety are common side effects of ADD symptoms, tasks being left undone and piling up, financial issues due to impulsive spending… ( I recently bought a house nine months ago which requires extensive renovations in order to “flip”, not such a good idea). So now I am in a situation where I have a pdoc who peddles the latest antidepressants as cure alls and a past psych as a reference who says I’m bipolar. So I am wondering what other paths to look into a local psychologist who specializes in diagnosing ADD charges 1000 for assessment (which I don’t have) and I’ll have to wait three months for any results, meanwhile I am struggling to get work done on my house, my work suffers, depression and anxiety increase due to being overwhelmed all the while a proper med may be the answer. Sorry for the rant and I am not sure if this is where I should have posted, just don’t know what else to do. Thanks

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[Anonymous]

incase anyone actually reads this I’m wondering how anyone went through the process of getting assessed and getting on a medication that worked for them. I know medication is not the only answer but I feel as though if it can get me in the right frame of mind in order to get some organization and concentration it may be the first step. I feel like I’m at the end of the and at the same time like I haven’t even lived yet. Have a good night

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[Anonymous]

I think I went the long way around but after suspecting I had it (after my son was diagnosed), I went to a local Doctor who unfortunately dismissed my concerns. I felt embarrassed and left it for another six months, but after more reading to find out how I could help my son, and still feeling strongly that I also had ADD. I finally contacted an adult ADD support group who sent me information and gave me a list of psychiatrists in my area that have experience in Adult ADD. After ringing a few and making inquiries, I went to a different GP and asked for a referral. The psychiatrist assessed me, asked lots of questions, looked at my old report cards etc and diagnosed me with ADD. We have talked about medication but I’m a little reluctant at the moment (still going through the grieving process I think). I’m in Australia, so I don’t know how the system works where you’re from, but I think it would be a good idea to find a psychiatrist with some experience in adult ADD. Is there a support group in your area that you can contact?

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[Anonymous]

I live in thunder bay Ontario. I will look into if there is a support group here. I’m sure the systems are similar. Sounds like the best place to start, I’m not a very social person but I think learning more about different coping techniques and ways to become more organized would be great.

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[nellie]

The advice I wouldd add is to make sure that wherever you are assessed they are being thorough . Somehow it seems odd to me that a psychiatrist would so quickly make a judgement as you describe it. As redsquirrel says, finding someone with experience is important .My assessment took about 8 hours spread over several days. The same with my kids. All of our experiences seemed very intensive and the clinician was careful not to jump to a final conclusion before gathering all of the information . In terms of medication I was lucky to have a doctor that is interested in treating adults with ADD . Finding a med that worked was a real trial and error process which, from what I’ve read here and in books, is typical.

Hang in there, patience is definitely a virtue to develop to get through this process!

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[JimC.]

@solemn. I lived in TB for 6+ years, with ADD (not knowing it) but I did seek help there and found none. but that was in the late 70’s. It could be different now. I recall one GP doc telling me I had ‘generalized anxiety” and that the answer to calm down was church. I’m sure he meant well, but of course it fell on deaf, inattentive ears.

1st try this virtual test here: http://totallyadd.com/virtual-doctor and that might at least help you get a bit of a grasp on where you are vis a vis ADD.

2nd, small chunks: break down all the big stuff into small pieces and then work away at the small pieces. Trying to do big stuff virtually ensures failure or similar.

Lastly, I too drank a lot early on, and once on Adderall RX had absolutely no desire to ever touch alcohol again. Simply amazing. I stress we are all different, but try these steps and see if it gets you on the right path.

Lastly part b) http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php?city=Thunder+Bay&state=ON&spec=6

Good luck, Jim

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[Anonymous]

thanks for the responses. I’ve taken the test and scored very high. Nice to hear from someone whose spent time in the bay its a great city but the crime rate is getting rediculous. In terms of breaking things down when I do I have the tendency to break things down too fast and get ahead of myself, its like my mind works faster then I can put things into action and wind up getting overwhelmed but I guess that takes practise, and mindfulness. Not aware of any support groups through looking online, I can see specialist.’Dr Sullivan which I stated above and get assessed which would be a timely and a costly route. Its been unseasonably warm here hope its nice where you all are.

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[JimC.]

Here’s a link that may help: it’s a coach I used and he was a big help. His site has links to free resources and many ADD-related things.

http://www.addcoach4u.com/

You might want to think about contacting him but he does charge for coaching and does coaching over the phone – given that Long Distance is not relatively inexpensive that might be an avenue?

Cross border you may have more luck; search the he// out of the internet, we all have to in order to get answers sometimes: http://www.addforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-9405.html

I checked Mayo clinic and they don’t offer ADHD help in Minnesota.

Here’s a map of Minnesota counties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_counties_in_Minnesota

and here’s a list of the Adult ADHD help by county: http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.php?state=MN&spec=6

Good luck, Jim

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[JimC.]

@solemn: here’s a link to an ADHD clinic in Vancouver that will diagnose via video conference. I don’t know about costs. http://www.northshoreadhd.com/home.html and http://www.northshoreadhd.com/contactus.html

“ADHD and Addiction Clinic – We can assess patients by secure video-conference from wherever they are in the world. Our services include assessment, diagnosis, education, medication management, coaching, counselling, advocacy and support.

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[Anonymous]

Hi solemn,

I looked up the Learning Disability Assoc. of Canada and found the Ontario site (I’m in ON too). Go to the site and near the top of the page is a bar and at the right side is a tab “Find an LDA”. When you click there you’ll get a listing of all the Ontario chapers and there is one in Thunder Bay. It doesn’t have its own website but there is a local chapter in Thunder Bay.

The associations are there to help people just like us to get hooked up with the resources we need. I’m betting that if you give them a call, you’ll be able to get some names of local doctors who have a good understanding of ADHD in adults. They are used to working with kids, parents, and adults who have needs because of learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, or LDs and ADHD together.

Give them a shout and see if they can help you out.

http://www.ldao.ca (Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario)

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[Anonymous]

Hi I live in bc

I contacted my local mental health association and refered myself thats how I started the process and within a month I had a diagnosis, I specifcally asked to see a therapist that has experience with adhd, I too had past substance abuse issues and anxiety, depression etc. I do believe now after all the research I have done that its a symptom of adhd! In bc the service is free not sure about u but should b as its canada I looked up the office prob closest to you heres the link : http://www.cmha-tb.on.ca/bins/site_page2.asp?cid=284-1627-1683&lang=1 good luck

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[Anonymous]

thanks for the responses, I will attempt to persue something locally. Hopefully something will come of it.

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[Author]

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