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

[Anonymous]

Well, I called the local clinic of psychologists that my family doc referred me to, and they don’t even diagnose ADD!! So I went to the CHADD website and I now have an appointment for Nov 8 with The Learning Clinic at the University of Washington. At least I have confidence that these folks will know what they’re doing!! Some of the “therapists” and “coaches” listed in the nearest smallish city didn’t even have any formal training!! It will cost me $500, but if it helps me get my life organized and my symptoms under control, I will consider it money well-spent. I called our insurance and they said they doubted whether our insurance would pay much. It’s really unfair that so-called “mental” illnesses/conditions are not insured the same way that other illnesses/conditions are. I feel the same about the way dental is covered in the US. Who decided that teeth aren’t part of your body and that tooth problems shouldn’t be covered by medical insurance–here you have to have “dental” insurance separately–same way with vision coverage. It’s STUPID!! BUT, I’m glad I am now moving toward a dianosis!!

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[billd]

I agree with your last sentences, MonkeyBarb. People have literally died from infections caused by disiesed teeth. And if you have vision troubles, it can lead to job issues, more accidents, etc. – it’s cheaper to keep the WHOLE body up and functioning as far as society is concerned over-all.

BTW – it was a neuropsychologist who did the final testing and diagnosis on me. They already decided I had ADHD, bad, but wanted to know more and rule out other issues before any treatment (some meds to treat ADHD may have bad impact on other things, so they need to rule them all out, be sure it’s ADHD for certain, THEN prescribe……)

This fellow was brilliant, and after 4+ hours of testing and interview, it was a done deal.

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[Anonymous]

Glad to hear that, Bild. Seems that getting a diagnosis is a large step in the process, and a hard one, depending on where you live.

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[Anonymous]

I wanted to chime in. I was diagnosed by a psychologist 5 years ago with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. I was anxious and depressed and worried about money, always struggling with my “career” chronic underemplyement, and a marriage that finally ended two years ago. The first mandatory trait of OCPD is being highly organized, orderly and obsessive abuot being orderly. I am the most disorderly person I know!! The Psych somehow brushed this off. She had done her Ph.D. in OCPD and I guess it was easy to slot me into something she had studied for so many years. I think she was a bit brainwashed. As they say, if you are a pickpocket, your world looks like a lot of pockets. I digress. I saw another Psych recently for anxiety. He used CBT but never once brought up ADD. I even left my wallet and keys behind in his office several times and made a point of saying that I did that kind of thing all the time!! I recently found out through my own research (FINALLY) I probably have ADD (5 others in my family were diagnosed many years ago). The two Psychs I saw and spent almost $10,000 on did not either know about adult ADD or even consider it. I think this is bizarre considering ADD causes/underlies the depression and anxiety symptoms that the Psychs are treating you for! Makes no freakin sense these practitioners are so out of the loop on ADD …

Cheers, Matt

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[Anonymous]

Chear up, when we lived in Stratford, Ontario, our family doctor diagnosed me as having ‘Sore Knee Syndrom’.

He was clearly inept, and it is a sign of my wife’s restraining ability, that I didn’t hang him with his stethescope. [ joking ]

Moved to B.C., got lucky at a walkin clinic, doctor sent me for testing at provincial mental health and poof .. a few hours with

a great psychiatrist, she told my I was ADHD with anxiety, depression and some anger .. also put my on drugs .. family doctor

is a nice guy who has some youth ADHD patients, but I am his eldest … we are nearly the same age, so is a joke of sorts.

Stuff happens when it happens i guess. That is about as deep as i get without quoting Monty Python … happy 2010 err 2012.

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[Geoduck]

Finding a good doc is hard, but there are resources out there for finding an ADHD specialist. There are plenty of resources for finding docs on the internet. Here’s one:<http://add.site-ym.com/?page=disclaimer&gt;, and another <http://directory.additudemag.com/Guide/ADHD_Doctors_Therapists_Psychologists_Diagnosis_Help&gt;

I don’t think it’s just a problem with family medicine. I had a full fledged psychiatrist tell me that she didn’t diagnose for ADHD because she believed ADHD was over-diagnosed. That’s one of those brain hurting statements, now isn’t it??? So there you have it. There are asshats in every profession.

My family doctor did diagnose me and is treating me, with great results. Family doctors can diagnose and treat ADHD with meds, but don’t do counseling. Mine employs a counselor in his office, for this purpose. I just don’t want to go to counseling. My choice, long story. Really, if it’s a good family doc, and there are good and bad in all forms of doctors, they will diagnose and treat you properly, and have a list of counseling professionals available.

Good luck. I hope you get the help you need.

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[Anonymous]

If my family MD didn’t believe Adult ADHD exists I would finding myself a new doctor. An on the way of the doctor’s office would be telling everyone in the waiting room to run.

This shows a complete ignorance and it would lead me to question his ability to effectively treat me on any level.

As others have posted you need to do your homework. ideally you would find a GP who will make the referral or a psychiatrist who actually treats Adult ADHD.

SORRY I missed the fact it was psychiatrist you saw. This doctor should not be practicing because he is not doing a service to patients or the medical profession. You need a psychiatrist who actively treats adults with ADHD and listens to their patients.

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[Author]

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