Going to see the psychiatrist in one week…

[clyde2801]

Saw the ADD and Mastering it! special on public television, and was so intrigued I downloaded the ADD Stole My Car Keys! e-b0ok.   Read literally a hundred plus pages last night, and it was like these two have been following me around my entire life.  I’ve literally blown the lid off of a couple of ADD tests online.

Thank God my wife has good health care coverage, I have an appointment to see a psychiatrist in one week that my insurance tells me handles adult ADD patients.  I trust this will be better than going through my family doctor/general practitioner.

What should I expect?  What kind of medication would be suggested?  The online tests suggest I’m ADHD, not just ADD.  I’m familiar with adderall since my son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.  Truthfully, I’m wondering if this will help to slow down on the nonstop coffee and energy drinks I need to get me through the day.

Oddly enough, I’m really feeling hope after the special and the book.   Not only is it answering the question I’ve had my entire life: “What the :censored:’s wrong with me?”, it also promises me there is a solution.

REPORT ABUSE

[Patte Rosebank]

Welcome, @Clyde2801 !

This is a great adventure you’re starting on.  All those questions and “What if”s are the first part of it.

Take a look around the Videos section (http://totallyadd.com/videos/).  You’ll find a lot of the answers you’re looking for.  And a lot of laughs.

You can also take some front-line tests here (http://totallyadd.com/tools), including The Virtual Doctor. Print out the results, and take them with you to that appointment, so you’ll have an answer when the doctor asks, “So…what makes you think you might have ADHD?”

_________________________________

The psychiatrist will give you many tests:  multiple-choice, observational, and task-based.  He/she will also ask a lot of questions about your behaviour at home, work, and recreation, going all the way back to your childhood.

This is because ADHD is genetic (except for a small percentage of cases which are due to a brain injury), so the symptoms will have been there, in one form or another, when you were a child.  You don’t “outgrow” them; they just change slightly, and you learn to live with them.  We know this now.

We also know that ADHD often brings “friends” along.  “Friends” like Depression, Anxiety, Dyslexia, OCD…  So, don’t be surprised if you find out you have something more than ADHD.

_________________________________

Meds are only part of the treatment…like training wheels for your brain.

They’re also not one-size-fits-all, so it’ll take trial-and-error to find the right one(s) for you.  Since Adderall is working for your son, there’s a good chance it’ll work for you, too.  Asperger’s and ADHD are part of the same spectrum of disorders, so you and your son could have similar brain wiring.

But these are all things to discuss with your doctor, after your diagnosis.

If you do find out you have ADHD, come back here, and start learning as much as you can!

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts