Too quick to diagnose?

[queen_of_cups]

Hi everyone,

I’m fairly new here. Joined this forum after stating to discuss possible ADHD with my therapist, then reading a book she recommended about ADD in women and highlighting almost every page as I recognized myself in all of the writing, then succumbing to intense anxiety for which I was prescribed anti-depressants by my doctor who thought it was likely I had ADHD but felt the anxiety needed to be treated first, and finally a couple of weeks ago seeing a psychiatrist who diagnosed me the same day with ADHD (Combined type) and prescribed Adderall XR.

My question is that, even though everything I have read over the last few months seems to confirm to me that I am dealing with ADHD, I am worried about the fact the psychiatrist diagnosed me in one single meeting (online) without conducting any of the more rigorous interviewing, discussing my school reports, or reaching out to family members/partner that I have read about on the CHADD website. I would love the opinion of others on this forum about whether this seems odd or if others have had the same experience of a super fast diagnosis? Is it possible to be diagnosed after just answering the questions on the initial ADHD assessment?

[ADDandMe]

I had a similar experience with an instantaneous diagnosis. In fact I emailed to get an appointment, was sent through the form, filled it in and returned it and the psychologist answered the phone apologising for her late response as she had ADHD too. So basically her first spoken sentence to me confirmed it. The swiftness off diagnosis has played on my mind a bit. I completed the Diva-5 form and in the first section the threshold is 5, I scored 9. So maybe it was conclusive for her. I did however have my husband complete a form. And my family tried to comment on my childhood but info was vague.

Was the book the Sari Solden one? I’m listening to it on audible and see a lot of myself in it.

[queen_of_cups in reply to ADDandMe]

Thanks ADDandMe, that's helpful. I am stuck in a place between feeling relief at seeing others articulate the way I have been feeling and handling life forever, and also worrying that I'm somehow making it all up or overreacting...Yes, the book was ADD in Women by Sari Solden. And one of the things that got me the most was not only the accurate depiction of all the thoughts, behaviors and traits but also how accurately she described how we might react to realizing these things about ourselves. I hope it is helpful for you too. I underlined almost every page and my copy has notes all over it but mostly just exclamations of "Yes!" and "This!"

[Purplepia in reply to queen_of_cups]

I am stuck with the same questions and part of me feels like an imposter after a doctor who didn’t know me diagnosed me after one meeting. I am struggling with the label being so definitive and I think a way to think of it is- how much tips and advice ring true about adhd? Are there other people who are struggling with similar things with adhd as me? Maybe this is a pointer. And maybe take the helpful things and discard what is uncomfortable or unhelpful about having a diagnosis. Since my diagnosis I am having imposter syndrome and anxiety about- is this really me? But I struggle with so many things that come under the category of adhd that I am coming to terms with ok yes- and if it ‘isn’t’ then I’m still finding things helpful and discovering myself, so it helps open a lot of doors even if they are uncertain ones.

[Spas1968]

Hi Queen of cups.

[Spas1968]

I would tend to say that an online interview/diagnosis is maybe very slightly dubious although, I went to a Psychiatrist to ask him for help to give up smoking and walked out of his room's diagnosed as having full on ADHD. He summed up almost before I sat down and within minutes he was giving me checklists of ADHD character traits and asking me if I had any/most or all of the traits listed. I told him that every single trait described me uncannily accurately. In a way it was liberating to get that "label" because for the first time in my life, I knew what I was up against.

My advice is don't discount any evidence to the contrary or in favour of your diagnosis.

Just bear in mind that you possibly have ten years of tweeking medication to suit your needs.

Depression is known as the thief of time and it occurs most often as a comordity to ADHD.

All the best. I wish you all the luck on your ADHD journey which, by the way ,all bad. Read as many books as you can on your disorder. It helps you to understand yourself.

[lieutenant_sheep in reply to Spas1968]

I can second this. I’ve been told for the past 9 years of being treated for depression/anxiety/CPTSD that they were the reason for my symptoms but I was always looking for some missing piece of my puzzle. It was the adhd diagnosis that finally gave me the answers I’d be asking for

[lieutenant_sheep]

hello! Congratulations on your diagnosis. I was also diagnosed in one meeting, but using a self evaluation survey. You did the same thing, essentially, but with the book. You read it and told the doctor that a large part of it rang true. Doctors are starting to trust more women when we self report, and that’s a great thing.

Looking at school reports and talking to people in our lives are defunct as diagnostic tools. Lots of kids and adults w adhd are able to do well in school and many people, girls/women especially, mask our symptoms well or display different symptoms than boys/men. That’s why so many of us are finally being diagnosed as adults.

If the adderall is helping you and you’re able to sleep at night, there’s a very slim chance that your diagnosis was wrong.

[Spas1968 in reply to lieutenant_sheep]

Thanks for the reply. It was actually a list of traits that the Doctor asked if I identified in any of them. I almost fitted like a glove.

A few years ago, I had a mental breakdown.I changed to an extremely good Doctor!!

According to her , I am one of the worst cases she's ever seen

[MadamGeneva]

it’s apparently common, especially for women, to experience imposter syndrome about their diagnosis. I had a lengthy diagnosis and still feel it, even though I scored very highly for both the ‘A’ and the ‘H’.

It’s partly due to being able to mask so well and achieve amazing results without anyone ever knowing the struggles you went through to get there.

You know deep down that this is you, but you can still get a more thorough screening, if you think it will help. But just know that some of us have.. and we still feel the same way you do.

What a rollercoaster we all experience. Sending support vibes to you and others feeling the same.

[Spas1968 in reply to MadamGeneva]

I am a comic at work and wherever. I have self analysed through the year's and realised that I am so self conscious and such a social clutz that I put up the jokers mask.

But sometimes, when people have known me a bit longer and I wake up feeling depressed and not feeling like the joker,they get disappointed and lose interest in me.

[StoneJeweler]

That's the way of modern western medicine. Fast in and out! If you want a more definitive explanation you need to go to a doctor or clinic that specializes in ADHD/ADD. I went to one of DrAmen's clinics.