I was just told that Adult ADHD didn't Exist….

[Anonymous]

Just had an appointment with a psychiatrist that told me that ALL children grow out of ADHD and that I have perfectionism and Anxiety and he wanted to prescribe Anti Depressants!!! I told him I’m not taking Depression medication.

I am SOOOOO angry right now I could spit!!!

When I asked him if he even knew the 9 symptoms of Adult ADHD he told me that he did and then changed the subject!!!

If there is anyone out there who lives in the Calgary area and knows of a Dr. who at least has a clue I would sure like that ones name.

I angers me that I had to be referred to a psychiatrist who didn’t even believe that I could have this (FYI I have a psychologists report recommending I seek medication as part of my treatment (a report he chose to ignore)). I wouldn’t expect a Cardiologist to diagnose a stomach ailment so why would they send me to someone who doesn’t have a clue when it is supported by another professionals recommendation. So now my road to getting better is going to be longer as I wait for another appointment. I would like to try to find someone who is at least vaguely knowledgeable about this, I just don’t know how to find one?

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[Anonymous]

Since I’m down in Toronto I can’t give you any specific names but I do have a daughter teaching out there in Calgary. She mentioned that some of her students had been involved in an inpatient program (for behaviour issues) at the children’s hospital in the city. Sorry, she didn’t mention the hospital’s name when she was chatting with me but if they have that type of inpatient clinic for dealing with children’s psychiatric issue they must have follow up resources for teens/young adults.

If you call and inquire, someone there can may be able to head you in the right direction. They probably know or have the names of clinics in the city that deal with adult ADHD. I’m sure they won’t recommend specific names of doctors but they should be able to get you headed in the right direction.

Sorry to hear you’re dealing with almost the same issue that I had here. When the psychiatrist brushed me off, I was doubly offended when the family physician back-tracked and did the same thing, adding insult to injury by threatening to have me forcibly commited to the pysch ward if I ever brought the subject up again. Grrr! Since I’m known as quiet and mild mannered by all my friends and co-workers, I was even more offended by her words.

So what’s a girl to do? Google one! One ‘google’ led to another ‘google’ and before you know it, I had found a local support group here in TO. By reading through some of the members’ posts online, I soon had noticed a couple of names for adult ADHD doctors had popped up in their conversations amongst one another. I promptly googled the names I noticed and after phone calls to both of them, I was on my way! I settled on one of them and can now say I have been living the life of a new woman!

I started meds and could actually begin implementing some of the organizational skills that I’ve always known about but was just unable to properly get started. I had tried, tried, and tried but it wasn’t until meds that everything finally started to fall into place! Life isn’t perfect yet but I’m old enough to understand that there is no perfect in life, ever. Not for anyone.

Life will always have its ups and down but our part is just learning to play the game and to enjoy the ride.

BTW, our dear Dr. Jain (who does lurk around here) spoke at a meeting the other day and hammered home the message to us again that meds are the answer to all our problems. Learning to live with ADHD is all about life-style and good health habits. The meds certainly help some of us to get focussed enough to even get started on learning those habits.

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[Anonymous]

Psychiatrist??? Makes me sick when I here crap like that. I was assessed at Alberta Attention and Learning Disorder Services by a Chartered Psychologist there. Here is a link to the yellow page add. Get re-assesed and get some meds and a treatment plan!

http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Alberta/Calgary/Alberta-Attention-And-Learning-Disorder-Services/59761.html

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[Anonymous]

See Dr. Sam Chang in Calgary who will direct you to the best available choices in Calgary. He did a training program for physicians to teach about ADHD so he will be strongly connected to people that are legit. He is at Foothills hospital.

Regarding the other psychiatrist- he is still holding on to a belief that goes back to 1957. Politely give him the TotallyADD.com website and see what he thinks. One of the hardest tasks that we have to contend with in Canada, the US or anywhere are docs who choose to not want to hear. The docs who come to CME are already the converted. One of the major benefits of this site is that it is not threatening and easy to watch. We get people to change their mind. Another demographic that has been hard to reach is the 13-25 year old age group. We get these ones too because we are their YouTube type world.

Spread the word.

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[Anonymous]

So for the update.

After seeing the Dr. Duck (qwack) I got mad…(Don’t know if you got that by my post) and I started looking up doctors on RateMD. I got a list of them in my area and started calling…6 months at best.

I took a morning off work (I love my boss) and went to see my GP as a walk in and said that I just couldn’t wait 6 months. She said that she still didn’t feel right Rxing Stimulants but wondered if one of the other doctors would. Eureka her colleague has several ADHD patients. She asked if I would mind be transferred to this doctor…Well DUH Absolutely. She started off by asking me to describe my life (something Dr Duck didn’t do) and I apparently described the same thing every other one of her ADHD patients said.

She started me off on 20mgs of Adderall XR and after my apt the other day we DISCUSSED altering the meds. She actually asked for my opinion. Now this the Doctor I was waiting for. At least there is progress. I tell everyone that Now the Work begins!!!

Thanks for the Recommendation Dr. J I’m glad I didn’t have to use it. It might be an idea to post that somewhere where someone else in Calgary might see it. Here is a real glut here in this city of qualified doctors who feel comfortable with ADHD and its treatments.

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[laddybug3]

My favorite is it is a mood not a disorder. Like, I plan to feel this way.

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[billd]

there’s none so blind as those who will not see…………

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[Anonymous]

I am only now being treated for ADHD and I’m 56! My mother was advised that I was “hyperactive” but will in time “out grow it” When I was 47 I had a psychiatrist try to treat my ADHD with anti-depressants being that (unknowingly) I also had bi-polar-disorder I became manic and my anxiety level hit the roof consequently I eventually lost my job; at 55 I got an evaluation from a psychologist who acknolleged that I had ADHD; at age 56 I got a hold of the report so that I could get proper accomadations in college. I am now on Addderal XR, proudly after my first semester I can say I am an “A” student. Untreated adult ADHD is devestating… I want to be a Psychologist so that I can become a better advocate for myself and others living ADHD, panic disorders and of course BP.

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[Anonymous]

Kazuo – Congratulations for having the strength to tackle this in your 50s and not just giving up!!!

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[Anonymous]

Babyanne- Thank you… I wish you all the best; and yes it is true NOW is when the work really begins there is a “light at the end of the tunnel” and for sure; it is not a train coming at you! Please don’t allow yourself to become bitter about your experiences because in a long run you only hurt yourself with nothing to show for it later. I know it is hard not to… believe me… I know…

Adding to my frustrations I didn’t even have a GP for years! It is really sad to say that going on welfare was the best thing that ever happened to me; but looking back I painfully have to admitt it is true. Things could be worst, I had no healthcare coverage for 30 years prior to this time so I couldn’t treat ADHD or anything else for that matter.

“Mele-ka-like-maka… Haole-maka-hiki-ho” to you that is “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” in Hawaiian (sorry that is the extent of my fluency with the Hawaiian)

Kazuo

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[Flashlight]

The psychologist that diagnosed me said that I might have to look around before I find a GP that knows adult ADHD exists (due to them not being up to speed), but I didn’t have that problem. The psychiatrist must specialize in areas and not keep up to date with all other areas. But honestly, they must live in a bubble. What a moron. Unless there was communication static? You should report them to the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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[Anonymous]

OMG! When I saw that title in the forum’s list, I just had to react! I was told last wednesday that you are not necessarily born with ADD. You might acquire it at some point. 😆 And there was no way of arguing with my psychotherapist. She says it’s the new theory or something like that! And she knows about this website, she took note of the adress two weeks ago.

I’m kinda very unlucky with the docs I got. None of them either knows or understands ADD. Or they don’t believe the diagnosis I got of ADD and anxiety. I’m really not getting the help I need. Even from the psychotherapist who basically I see for an issue that is not ADD. I told her that I saw her attacking a point which is ADD related not issue related once in a while. She told me to tell her when she does. But I really don’t think she gets it.

And my neurologist is getting me off Concerta because it aggravated my anxiety (I just added that after rereading; wow he got that at least!!) and then… we will see from there!!!

I’m really really on the verge of abandonning everything. My general doctor who really doesn’t help me, my neurologist who doesn’t know a thing about ADD (and thats why I see him!), my psychotherapist, everything!

I was thinking the other day… wouldn’t that be great if, by some kinda magic, all ADDers would be ‘normal’ and all ‘normal’ people would have ADD for a day? We would finally have a day of rest and peacefulness and they would really understand and truly get it, sympathise with us and give us a break.

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[Anonymous]

Well Babyanne, I’m glad to hear that you’ve found a doc that you’re comfortable dealing with the ADHD issue. The ‘quack’ issue is unfortunately out there in so many fields. It’s hard to listen to the derogatory comments about MDs because so many of them are so great to deal with and talk over our issues whether they are ADHD related or just “Hey doc, I’ve got this pain in my knee!”.

I’m a teacher and I’m well aware of the many transgressions of some of my colleagues when it comes to the ADHD issues. I’ve actually got a little task list for me to deal with this weekend and one of them is to ‘relocate’ a website with some videos on it that deal with ADHD/kids/teachers. One of the little videos actually showed what message an ADHD kid might hear instead of the actual one that the teacher gives to the class.

One of my students from last year has been causing a colleague a great deal of consternation and she’s flumoxed by his behaviours. Well, so was I. ‘We’ can be difficult to teach all day long especially when we have a few other special needs students in the same classroom who are not getting proper additional support. (it’s amazing what ‘cheating’ can happen in a school. Bending the rules, so to speak.)

Anyway, I’ve got a great pdoc here so I thank my lucky stars. Must go find that website before I forget!

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[Anonymous]

My doc wouldn’t diagnose or prescribe meds and she freaked when I said I’d taken my husband’s meds. But she’ll accept a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

My brother’s son has ADD (formal diagnosis) but didn’t like being on the meds and stopped taking them. When I asked my brother this week if he had any symptoms, he said my sister-in-law says he does, but he’s not bothered by them. He also said “I think doctors these days diagnose almost everybody with ADD.” Boy, talk about supportive for his son, eh?

I am also seeing a psychologist (for meditation training, but we also work on personal material). We recognize I have issues with time management (self-employed) and although business was a bit slow lately, it was sure to ramp up again and I’d be in trouble again with being unable to sustain productive work for any reasonable period of time – the workday goes from morning to night because I’m always catching up.

So he told me to try to work one hour without answering the phone or checking email, take five minutes off, work another hour (no phone or email), take five minutes off, etc. Unmedicated, I couldn’t do it. I’d try, but something would come up or I’d forget to set an alarm, or the alarm would be in the other room and I couldn’t hear it, etc etc etc. When I went back to see him last week and told him I’d had trouble even doing that, he said “you didn’t want to”. *&$%()$%^&^&^%#$%#^$%#^$

Since I got a diagnosis this week, and I’m testing meds, I am hoping things will improve. I know I have to work at it, that meds are not the magic bullet, but I’m still ticked off that my therapist would say that. It totally deflated me.

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[trashman]

hi don’t be to hard on your docs. they have learned what they did in med school. understanding that if add was not part of what they study then it is not fact to them. at one time every one thought the world was flat but it took a crew to prove that infact it was round, but how long did it take for the word to get out till it became common knowledge. so we know it will take time but we have to share with them books and places like this website to slowly get them informed. Iam lucy when I asked my doc a question about adhd he said I don;t know much about it and left it at that, but he didn’t run it down. I could see the disbeleaf in his face but keep it to himself what a great gp he is . and thats all he is aGP and a good one.

it is scary to think that me with my low iq might know more then my doc with a very high iq, but that’s why they call it learning, it does not matter how dumb or how smart you are once you learn something and you believe it it is a part of your knowledge

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