Stressed about ADHD evaluation
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Starting ADHD evaluation for the second time next week. I am really stressed out because this is basically my last shot. I am pretty confident that I have ADHD, but since I also have bipolar, they are just assuming that whatever symptom I am experiencing must be that.
I've been through public healthcare where they discharged me after the intake conversation, because they regard me as too high functioning (did good in school and have a job) and they don't have the capacity. So no help there unless I run my life into the ground. Got declined by my health insurance because they have a clause in fine print saying they don't cover ADHD. So now I am paying out of pocket, blasting most of my savings. The price tag is around $2700. If they discharge me because they think I don't have it, it will "only" be $1900 though.
So now I am stressed out, worried I am just throwing my money out the window. And that I am just wrong. If this doesn't pan out, I don't know what I'll do.
Not really looking for any advice (but they are welcome), just wanted to vent a little.
This might be cost prohibitive but it also could be helpful to miss your first appointment so it takes a few months to rebook and there's an established data point that helps you in terms of setting expectations.
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Starting ADHD evaluation for the second time next week. I am really stressed out because this is basically my last shot. I am pretty confident that I have ADHD, but since I also have bipolar, they are just assuming that whatever symptom I am experiencing must be that.
I've been through public healthcare where they discharged me after the intake conversation, because they regard me as too high functioning (did good in school and have a job) and they don't have the capacity. So no help there unless I run my life into the ground. Got declined by my health insurance because they have a clause in fine print saying they don't cover ADHD. So now I am paying out of pocket, blasting most of my savings. The price tag is around $2700. If they discharge me because they think I don't have it, it will "only" be $1900 though.
So now I am stressed out, worried I am just throwing my money out the window. And that I am just wrong. If this doesn't pan out, I don't know what I'll do.
Not really looking for any advice (but they are welcome), just wanted to vent a little.
Telling you out of my personal experience: It's not worth seeking professional help. I started helping myself. I did the opposite of what physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists told me, and I'm feeling much better now. I started understanding how I function. I started working on myself and I readjusted my priorities. I learned to stop caring about all unnecessary responsibilities. And now I accept myself the way I always have been - not how people tell me to do.
People always judge me. It's this ubiquitous fear and my true weakness. I learned to let go. Be the weird guy. But it's all fine to me now.
Next step I'm working on: stop forcing myself to burnout at work. I don't need to accomplish all my goals for the day. I have more time for them than I would expect. It's better in the long run.
I don't need the stimulants which the doctor wants to prescribe me. I've been highly functioning because of my fears, but I decided to stop relying on them constantly. The time for a more relaxed life has started now.
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This might be cost prohibitive but it also could be helpful to miss your first appointment so it takes a few months to rebook and there's an established data point that helps you in terms of setting expectations.
I see where you are coming from, but the private clinics charge in advance. No-show means that the money is gone. I don't have that kind of cash to squander. In the public sector, if you don't show up, you will just get discharged.
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A mom I met said Omega supplements worked for her son. I believe you can get prescription versions that are more potent than random supplement. There are some studies that Omega can be lacking in ADHD brain.
Also some newer studies finding electrically quiet areas in ADHD brain, and when stimulated with an electrode pacemaker device gave ADHD suffered the focus they struggled with, so maybe hope is coming.
As a aide note Ritalin helped a friend and a family member with ADHD.
Nice, I'll think I will try out omega supplements actually. Nice tip. I have friends with ADHD and from the outside, they are light and day on/off meds
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Telling you out of my personal experience: It's not worth seeking professional help. I started helping myself. I did the opposite of what physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists told me, and I'm feeling much better now. I started understanding how I function. I started working on myself and I readjusted my priorities. I learned to stop caring about all unnecessary responsibilities. And now I accept myself the way I always have been - not how people tell me to do.
People always judge me. It's this ubiquitous fear and my true weakness. I learned to let go. Be the weird guy. But it's all fine to me now.
Next step I'm working on: stop forcing myself to burnout at work. I don't need to accomplish all my goals for the day. I have more time for them than I would expect. It's better in the long run.
I don't need the stimulants which the doctor wants to prescribe me. I've been highly functioning because of my fears, but I decided to stop relying on them constantly. The time for a more relaxed life has started now.
Depends on the help I guess. Not to discredit your experience. The help I got for bipolar had been immensely helpful for me. Maybe even life-saving. But when I was asking for help I had hit rock bottom. So it was easier getting help from the system, as I was prioritized.
I have no problem being weird or accepting who I am. I do have struggles that impact very practical things in my life. Making life quite hard
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Hey there, sorry to hear about what you are going through. I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, it has gone untreated but that's another story. In my adult life I've dealt with anxiety and depression. I've recently been diagnosed with bipolar.
My daughter (20ish) had a very similar outlook as you. She was confident she had ADHD and wanted a diagnosis. But similar to you her psychiatrist wanted to focus on anxiety and depression. She pushed back against this and didn't make progress.
But recently she went through a severe depressive phase and sought help. Instead of seeking help to get a specific diagnosis she went in simply asking for help.
You could try going to a psychologist and saying I'm feeling x, y, and z and they are impacting my life in a, b, and c ways. Then let the expert guide you through what you need.
I'm not saying this is you, but my daughter was convinced she needed to be treated for ADHD. But she really needed to be treated for her depression first.
Separate from all that a word of caution from someone who is prescribed a controlled substance. If you come in strong asking for an ADHD diagnosis you might be flagged for drug seeking behavior. It's better to present what you are feeling and let the docs try and figure out what works.
Best of luck to you, life isn't fun when it feels like your brain is out of control.
Thanks! I am glad to hear your daughter has been getting help!
You provide a nice perspective, but I don't think it applies in my situation. I feel I am coming from the opposite way. I have been getting a lot of help for my bipolar illness, and I also went to a therapist for two years for general help with life. And it is through this process I have become healthy enough to see that there is something else going on here, which was previously masked by bipolar and shitty life situation
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A mom I met said Omega supplements worked for her son. I believe you can get prescription versions that are more potent than random supplement. There are some studies that Omega can be lacking in ADHD brain.
Also some newer studies finding electrically quiet areas in ADHD brain, and when stimulated with an electrode pacemaker device gave ADHD suffered the focus they struggled with, so maybe hope is coming.
As a aide note Ritalin helped a friend and a family member with ADHD.
I thought the omega thing was a myth that has been debunked, though? Pretty sure Dr. Russell Barkley has said several times that there are no supplements that has any real effect on ADHD.
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Starting ADHD evaluation for the second time next week. I am really stressed out because this is basically my last shot. I am pretty confident that I have ADHD, but since I also have bipolar, they are just assuming that whatever symptom I am experiencing must be that.
I've been through public healthcare where they discharged me after the intake conversation, because they regard me as too high functioning (did good in school and have a job) and they don't have the capacity. So no help there unless I run my life into the ground. Got declined by my health insurance because they have a clause in fine print saying they don't cover ADHD. So now I am paying out of pocket, blasting most of my savings. The price tag is around $2700. If they discharge me because they think I don't have it, it will "only" be $1900 though.
So now I am stressed out, worried I am just throwing my money out the window. And that I am just wrong. If this doesn't pan out, I don't know what I'll do.
Not really looking for any advice (but they are welcome), just wanted to vent a little.
It's so dystopian in the states. When I needed Ritalin I spoke to my GP, they referred me to a psych. Did three sessions and then the psych called my doc and asked him to write a script.
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I thought the omega thing was a myth that has been debunked, though? Pretty sure Dr. Russell Barkley has said several times that there are no supplements that has any real effect on ADHD.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]There is a science paper on it. Not everyone had results but some did, and the mom I met said it had a huge effect. I will see I can find it and add it here.
Overall summary of studies https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4968854/
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Hey there, sorry to hear about what you are going through. I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, it has gone untreated but that's another story. In my adult life I've dealt with anxiety and depression. I've recently been diagnosed with bipolar.
My daughter (20ish) had a very similar outlook as you. She was confident she had ADHD and wanted a diagnosis. But similar to you her psychiatrist wanted to focus on anxiety and depression. She pushed back against this and didn't make progress.
But recently she went through a severe depressive phase and sought help. Instead of seeking help to get a specific diagnosis she went in simply asking for help.
You could try going to a psychologist and saying I'm feeling x, y, and z and they are impacting my life in a, b, and c ways. Then let the expert guide you through what you need.
I'm not saying this is you, but my daughter was convinced she needed to be treated for ADHD. But she really needed to be treated for her depression first.
Separate from all that a word of caution from someone who is prescribed a controlled substance. If you come in strong asking for an ADHD diagnosis you might be flagged for drug seeking behavior. It's better to present what you are feeling and let the docs try and figure out what works.
Best of luck to you, life isn't fun when it feels like your brain is out of control.
Interesting insight! I travelled the same road in the other direction. As someone who loves science, I always saw my role as a patient to just report symptoms and let the doctors do their thing. And I'm sure this would be the ideal approach if everybody had the House M.D. team on their case.
But after decades of this failing, I realised that this method does not work with a real-world medical system where doctors have more bias than they should, work with methods from their studying days that assumed they had more time and resources per case, and wrong monetary incentives.
So Method 1: I say I have X, and make it clear that I'll be a PITA if their test doesn't confirm it. If there were no bias, there would be no harm to this, but if there is, it's working to my advantage now.
Method 2: Just think of them as the idiot who is clueless but gatekeeper of the much wanted prescription.
Nobody wants to hear this, but a layman's web research, LLM and 1000 hours of thinking often beats 10 years of medical training if the doctor interrupts the patient after 20 seconds and only thinks about the case for 5 minutes. (With 30 minutes, my money would be back on the trained professional, but nobody has 30 minutes.) A patient can also fixate on a premature assumption just like a doctor can, but my very subjective experience is that doctors are more prone to that.
