First Psych Appointment…What Can I Espect?

[darkwynde]

Hey, everyone.

Just joined up about a week ago. Last Monday, I talked to my PCP about the possibility of ADD/ADHD. Conveniently, the clinic my doc operates out of has Psych personnel on staff, and when they heard about all my symptoms and how much caffeine I drink (2 to 3 L/day of diet Mountain Dew), they said, “Yeah, he probably has it! Get him to a psychiatrist.”

So, I have my first Psych appointment this coming Friday, and I was wondering what to expect. I’d appreciate it if you all could post what your first appointments were like, so I can get a bit of an idea what to expect.

Thanks!

DW

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[shutterbug55]

Hey, Dark.

I can only speak to my experience. I went in for a series of sessions, one was a computer test where they put up letters. I was supposed to hit the space bar on every letter but the “M”. The letters came up at different intervals. It took for ever and I was drained afterward. I had 3 or 4 take-home questionnaires to fill out, and he gave me one to do before each session. We did a lot of talking about my childhood, my high school years and my work history. He gave my wife and my brothers questionnaires to fill out as well.

Its a lot of work, but worth it. The tests pinpoint your ADD and how it affects your life. My doc asked me a couple very insightful questions, when we were talking about drug therapies. He asked me which symptoms I most wanted to address with drug/counseling therapy.

In keeping with my non-advise advise… I came into the psych’s office with questions. If we were going to talk about drug therapies, I loaded up with 5 or 6 questions I was going to ask, written down in my notebook. I keep lots of notes. If we were going to talk about background and history or occupational therapies where I learn new coping mechanisms, I armed myself with questions on those subjects.

Hope this helps.

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[kc5jck]

shutterbug55 is right, write down questions and also I would have notes about your behaviors that you think are ADHD related. I would also “crash course” educate yourself about ADHD. And think back to when you were a child for ADHD behaviors and problems you had and make notes of those.

I always have a list of questions in mind to ask my doc before the visit. While at the doc’s I am thinking about what I will be doing after I leave his office, the foxy nurse that just walked by, where I will get lunch, etc., etc. and leave without remembering to ask any of the questions because I didn’t write them down. SIASD.

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[darkwynde]

Thank both of you for your responses.

Kc5jck, I have indeed been “crash course” educating myself over the last…guess it’s been two weeks, now, since I had my conversation with the Dr. Reading the blogs and forums on this site is like reading my own biography at times, and I’ve started to wonder at how strong my wife must be, considering the behaviors she’s having to put up with from me.

The list of questions is an excellent idea, I’ll definitely be doing that (assuming I can still find the list Friday morning lol). I’m sure I can think of four or five for her

Thanks again, guys

Oh, by the way…is there any way to set up a signature for my posts on this site?

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[kc5jck]

Since you’re married, you should get a copy of “The ADHD Effect on Marriage.” Give your wife a hi-liter and ask her to circle everything in the book that applies to you. She’ll probably run out of ink if you’re anything like me. That book will get you off the hook for all kinds of things.

Larynxa writes her notes on her wrist so she doesn’t lose them. You can try that with your question list.

And if your wife goes with you to your dr. appointment, she can probably think of a lot of ADHD behavior you have that you may miss because you see is as “normal.” Since getting educated, I see all kinds of things I do which I now recognize as ADHD related.

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[darkwynde]

Good ideas, kc5. I think I’ll do that, and I’ll ask her to come to the doc with me. Actually, I have a bit too many questions to fit on my wrist, so I’m gonna have to remember to bring my notebook. Course, I can write “NOTEBOOK!” on my wrist to remind me…

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[shutterbug55]

Dark,

My wife likes the book “Is it You, Me or the ADD?” It is a life saver. Now instead of getting lectured for being ADD, she simply asks “Have you taken your meds?”

Maybe there is a good side to ADD!

Seriously, I thought long and hard about what I wanted from drug therapy and let my doc know what I expected. The did same thing with counseling. I also have my wife around for a lot of the sessions. We agreed that I can ask her to go get a coffee, or something if her being there makes me uncomfortable. That hasn’t happened a lot.

GL with the Doctors.

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[darkwynde]

Well, had my appt yesterday…didn’t see an actual psychiatrist yet. Spent an hour answering questions with a therapist. She was really nice, very understanding, and seemed to have quite a bit of experience with adult ADD. Another appt next Friday to gather more info, then she says she’ll set me up with a psychiatrist after that.

Not a bad experience at all. So far, so good.

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[darkwynde]

finally saw an actual psychiatrist last Monday. He says that while I show many symptoms of ADHD, he’s pretty sure I also have bipolar 2 disorder, and he wants to treat that first, see which symptoms are being caused by which disorder. All in all he seemed pretty knowledgeable, and was very professional about everything. I’ve been on Depakote for a week now, and haven’t really noticed any changes, other than falling asleep a lot easier (of course, the main side affect is drowsiness) and being groggier for a longer time when I first wake up in the morning. Although, once I get up and moving and start in on the caffeine, it’s easier to get the munchkin ready for day care and get myself ready for work, so maybe it IS working just a little bit. Doc said it’d take a couple weeks before I notice any real improvements, but even if this is all I get from it, it’s worth taking one pill every night if it helps me get to sleep and eases the morning scatterbrain.

The wife says I’ve been more emotional than usual, but we’re also having some financial issues this month, so it’s hard to tell what’s just normal stress and what’s the meds. Next appointment in a month. Again, thanks for all the info and support.

DW

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[Anonymous]

Darkwynde,

I’m interested in your case because it’s so similar to mine. I too was told I had bipolar II when I went for my ADHD assessment. Because I had been reading books, journal articles, literature and research for six months, I had been heavily warned against how little most professionals know about Adult ADHD. And it was true — I had been referred to an OHIP-covered neurologist who specialized in childhood attentional problems. He couldn’t recognize Adult ADHD if it slapped him in the face.

I immediately found a second opinion, and here is the reason: Having undiagnosed ADHD is frustrating (understatement of the century). It makes you paranoid about makings mistakes or forgetting important tasks, etc. Understandably, a person’s mood can be drastically affected by this. In other words, ADHD can cause mood problems that mimic major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder or anything in the Bipolar II spectrum. In fact, if you have undiagnosed adult ADHD, you are more likely than not to have a comorbidity like anxiety and/or depression.

Realizing the average-Joe-psychiatrist (or even a “so-called” attentional specialist) would not be able to help me, I sought help from a private clinic that specialized in ADHD — that’s all they do; they know all and everything having to do with ADHD across the lifespan.

Dr Gray made it very clear that I may have mood problems, but there was no way to tell if they are a “true” disorder requiring separate treatment, or a product/symptom of my ADHD. Bottom Line: YOU TREAT THE ADHD FIRST.

Normal psychiatrists don’t know anything about Adult ADHD, but they are very familiar with Bipolar, MDD, Anxiety etc. They are more likely to treat what they know. And this is backwards.

I know finding a specialist is difficult (2nd biggest understatement of the century), but I think a second opinion would help you a lot. Yes, private clinics charge an arm and a leg, but that because what they are offering is so valuable: a TIMELY, accurate, objective, testable, reliable, state-of-the-art diagnostic process. Most also offer coaching and follow-up care. If they have an MD on staff, they can even start you on your meds.

I really think the guy you’re seeing is leading you down the wrong path, not maliciously, but ignorantly. He just doesn’t know enough. When you hit the wall and are ready to tear your hair out, it might be time to get a second opinion. Good Luck.

Nichole

Toronto, ON

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