Getting a diagnosis/evaluation

[essobo]

Can anyone walk me through the process of diagnosis? My husband and I have Kaiser Permanente insurance and he tried to get evaluated, but it was basically a short questionnaire that only he filled out. I don't really feel like he was properly evaluated. The doc said he did not have ADD. The mental health dept there seems not to do much in the way of adult ADD. I'm curious how others have gotten a proper diagnosis? Did most of you pay out of pocket? How did you find someone? Any other guidance that might help to figure out if my husband has ADD or another executive function disorder? Thank you in advance for your help.

[BlessedLady]

Did he see a psychiatrist? It does depend on your insurance. Some insurance has better providers than others. He can try seeing another doctor. If I remember correctly, the questionnaire you are referring to. is to determine if further testing is needed. He might end up having to pay out of pocket to get proper testing. It is possible that he does not have ADHD

[artnmusic]

Hi there, I was diagnosed through Kaiser also. I did their questionnaire and also talked to a psychiatrist there. (They're the ones who can prescribe medication should you choose to take it so you probably need them on board.) Also, I really screened the psychiatrists there. My first one was someone who had worked with kids primarily previously and she had lots of experience with diagnosing and understanding ADD/ADHD. I found her to be very educated about it and familiar with the traits etc. It can be noted that she was probably in her 30s. I found older psychiatrists (60+) to be completely clueless about it and very skeptical. I even went to an outside-of-Kaiser psychiatrist and she also was extremely paranoid about diagnosing because she didn't think I should get on medication because of its addictive qualities. If anything I am reluctant to take medication!! though it does help me.

So you have to do a fair amount of weeding through people who won't help you, and try to find the people (ask around) who understand the disorder, understand the level of suffering and life limiting issues it can present, and understand that all kinds of support are needed in order to help us achieve a measure of success and satisfaction in our lives! *I don't mean to be ageist but I do think younger professionals at this point have had much more exposure to the ideas and stories of people who have struggled to function because of their AD(h)D.

[sharkticon]

I just talked to my general practitioner. Seems like the easiest way to tell for sure is to take the drug. He started me out on a small dose to see how I did. I wasn't euphoric, in fact I didn't feel any different. He kept close tabs on my heart rate and other vitals, and then he kept moving the dose up till I started seeing a difference.

Even if you get diagnosed, the drugs can be pricey too. But for me it's worth. Sometimes you just have to pay out of pocket. Your mental health is worth it. You might have to cut back on other things but I can't think of a better use for my money.

It is true that there are a lot of other things that can effect your executive function. If these symptoms have only come on recently it's most likely not ADHD. ADHD is something you are born with. But anxiety, trauma, depression, or other health conditions can also screw with your executive function.

[Little-Face]

The process I went through. For context, I was 38yrs old when my 1st prescription for ADHD was written. It was Vyvanse: 1. In college I earned an A in each class, except, algebra. Tutoring didn't help, and as I continued earning A's in all other classes, except algebra, my GPA was slowly getting chipped away each time I'd retake the class.

2. I'm extremely fortunate to have a doctor who goes out of his way to help me when I feel something's wrong. He was stumped though on this issue, and he said the only way he could find the best path to treatment would be for me to have a full Neuropsychological Assessment carried out to check my cognitive abilities for signs of a math disability.

3. The assessment was something I needed time to think about. I wanted to be truly committed, and be prepared to answer every question with 100% honesty.

4. I decided to go through with the Neurological Assessment. It consisted of (1) eight hour day filled with a battery of tests evaluating intellectual strengths and weaknesses. And (8) one hour sessions with the lead psychologist. I understood what therapy was like, I went each month. So I wasn't expecting how different one hour with a psychologist would feel like. After leaving each session, it felt like my brain had it's ass kicked and I was mentally exhausted. Being truthful to so many deeply personal questions was hard, but I'd promised myself to be completely honest. Finally, there are (2) one hour "Feedback Sessions" where the lead psychologist goes over about 30-pages inside a packet given to you with the entire findings of the assessment.

5. During feedback, we reached the formal diagnoses page. And the first diagnoses he wrote was that I had ADHD disorder, severe, predominately inattentive.

6. After three psychiatrist flat out said they wouldn't prescribe a stimulant medication to treat ADHD. Why? I was also diagnosed with two cases of severe substance abuse disorders, but they were each in sustained remission for 6-years. NOBODY trusted me enough to give me a chance.

7. I told my doctor that none of the medication helped that the psychiatrist were prescribing, and how each one told me I wouldn't receive a stimulant medication. Then I asked my doctor, will you please give me a chance. I want to see if one of those proven ADHD stimulant medications may be what works. He said, I'll give you a chance. The chance he gave me changed my life for the better. That was 4-years ago, and I've never abused the medication once.