Ever since I self diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago, I've wanted to get an official diagnosis. I went to my PCP who told me they can't diagnose ADHD, so please go to a psychiatrist. I just had a zoom meeting with a psychiatrist who says that he can't diagnose me, because they have to rule out my anxiety (that I've also dealt with all my life) isn't causing my forgetfulness. He sort of ignored me telling him that I cannot focus on anything I don't find interesting. He sort of ignored my impulsiveness that makes me extremely clumsy. He suggested that if I really want a diagnosis, I should go to a neurologist, because being over 40 and having this level of forgetfulness can be caused by medical issues.
I've been this forgetful all my life. It's not because I'm over 40. But fine. I'm OK with going to a neurologist, but it was really frustrating to be told that they have to rule out my anxiety being the cause for all of my ADHD symptoms.
My question is, did anyone else with anxiety as a comorbidity have trouble getting a diagnosis at my age or older? (I'm 46). Any tips? I'm not even after meds, as I think stimulants won't work well for me. I just want to be told that I have ADHD by a medical professional, so I can stop feeling like a broken human being and can know that it isn't all my fault. I'm kind of emotional right now, so I'm babbling a bit. Thank you for listening.
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Fayerweather
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You need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist in person. Although since you do not want treatment. It would be best to not tell them that. ADHD does get worse the older women get due to changes in hormone levels. I do not know anyone I can think of that has been diagnosed by a Neurologist. I am not saying a neurologist cannot diagnose ADHD because they can. But it is common to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Since you do not want medication. A psychologist would be best.
This is so frustrating, because my pcp told me a psychiatrist could diagnose me, but "it would have to be in person." Then the office told me it had to be a zoom call because they had limited staff there at night. I feel like I got duped. He's telling me a neurologist has to check me out to make sure my forgetfulness isn't something worse, and he sort of didn't connect the fact that while my forgetfulness *has* gotten worse as I've aged, that I've been struggling with exactly the same kind of forgetfulness, (along with severe issues paying attention to anything I don't find interesting) for 40 years.
Primary care doctors know little about ADHD. They receive very little education and little to no training regarding it. In situations where a official diagnosis is required, like for disability. A diagnosis of ADHD is not accepted when it is from a PCP. You need to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist. It is best to go in person. You really know nothing about doctors that only work online.
I agree stimulants could help your anxiety. Taking drugs recreationally is not the same as taking them under a doctor's care.
Thank you for the input. I have made an appointment with a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating ADHD in adults. I'll check back in about that if I remember
I don't have answers relating to getting diagnosed after 40, but I have been told something that you may find helpful, too. My therapist has told me that on multiple occasions her ADHD clients have gone on stimulants, and consequently their anxiety or depression symptoms went away almost entirely. She said that ADHD sometimes can cause obsessive thoughts which seem to lead to anxiety, repetitive depressive ideations, or even things like imposter syndrome. This might not be you, but you mentioned you have anxiety and I was curious if it may be connected to your ADHD. It's crazy how different ADHD brains are and how those differences can be a part of things you wouldn't even expect. Hope this is helpful and validates some of the experiences you've been having. Good luck on your diagnosis journey!
You're absolutely correct. I think the anxiety could be caused by the ADHD. I do absolutely have repetitive thoughts, and I DO often have impostor syndrome. I think my anxiety would be made worse by stimulants, as it always got worse when I took stimulant drugs recreationally, but I'm very glad it works for most people. Thank you for understanding, and yes, I think the anxiety and ADHD is a chicken and egg scenario.
wow! Thank you for that. I have all of the symptoms you've described. Repetitive, intrusive thoughts, repetitive thoughts that lead to emotional mood swings, lots of low grade anxiety and hypervigilance/overpreparedness. I've never enjoyed stimulants when taken recreationally, but maybe a doctor can prescribe a low dose and I can see what happens?
I share all of those symptoms, too. It's always worth a shot to try medication out. I've been trying Adderall and it does make me a bit more anxious but the advantages far outweigh a little bit of bit of nervousness. It's all individual, my best advice is keep listening to your body.
I started taking an amphetamine off-label for depression long before the ADHD diagnosis. Worked better for depression than any of the umpteen anti-depressants did! Not so much for the ADHD, unfortunately.
Book another appointment with a new psychiatrist in person. Look online for one in your area that lists ADHD as one of their specialties. In my experience when they list ADHD as one of their areas of strengths it makes all the difference.
I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience! It seems you have already gotten all the good advice, so I will just share this with you: please know you are not alone in being at your wit's end with your own brain. It's hard, but it won't always be hard. I will pray God helps you find a doctor who is a compassionate and wise listener.
I was diagnosed after struggling with both anxiety and depression at age 58. Sadly as ADHD can only be diagnosed through looking at the symptoms, it leaves a lot to personal interpretation. You may want to see if you can talk to someone else.If you do, there are non-stimulant options. For me stimulants were a big clue to my ADHD as they have the reverse effect on me compared to others. If I want a good night's sleep all I got to do is drink a pot of coffee and my stimulant meds dials down my anxiety.
Getting the diagnosis is a slow pain in the butt- keep trying.
aww thanks so much! I'm really feeling bolstered by hearing about people's experiences, especially people closer to my age. I've been hearing people say they react well to stimulants, but I am wary. I have a history of drug dependence and an addictive personality. I also don't know how ADHD affects my life totally yet, having spent most of the past 46 years completely unaware of it as a possibility. Now that I've read the symptoms, I am 1000% certain this is me. I want to explore it and find out what the limits of my non-medicated tools and workarounds can accomplish. It would be nice though to have the option. Thanks again for replying!
I'd recommend not worrying too much about the treatment until after you're diagnosed. Then you can start working with you provider on a treatment plan.Everyone is different in how ADHD impacts them along with which treatments are most effective. Keep in mind ADHD is a neurological disorder, the brain takes longer to develop, neurons either don't produce enough neurotransmitters, or the neuron absorbs them before they have a chance to bind to the receptor, and ADHD brains have less grey matter which allows different regions of the brain to communicate with each other (as well as more stuff).
Some are successful managing the disorder with out medication (some don't have a choice). And meds are not the be all end all- I am still in therapy, and working with an ADHD coach. But for me the meds make all this easier.
There are a number of stimulant and non stimulant options. I'm currently taking Vyvanse, a stimulant that they say is non- addictive. Again after you've got a diagnosis your provider can work with you on managing it.
I don’t know if this will help, but my pcp did my diagnosis. Later, after switching insurance, they wanted a “psych” evaluation. My pcp told the insurance company that he screened me for ADHD, specifically referencing “DSM-5 Criteria and Guidelines,” and they were good with that. He did tell them that there are “co-morbidities” observed, but result from adult ADHD. Those included GAD, and OCD, among others. For what it’s worth, I was diagnosed in my early fifties.
Probably unrelated, but I did move my healthcare from a “for profit” medical system to a not for profit medical system, and a lot of that friction seems to have disappeared. Anecdotal, I know, but it’s what I have experienced.
Thanks so much for the valuable insight! This first psychiatrist didn't ask me any of the DSM-5 questions during our session. It was just me, trying to convince him that I had ADHD, and him being very vague and saying he couldn't diagnose me. Very frustrating. I could absolutely have GAD, mixed with hyperaware adhd anxiety. It's hard to tease those two apart. Anyway, thanks for replying!
I so hope you get what you need as soon as possible. Interestingly enough, I began my personal research on, get this, Pinterest of all places! I searched “neurodivergent” and came across these Venn diagrams referencing “Misdiagnosis Monday” leading me to this website. neurodivergentinsights.com/...
Of course I (we all?) have a tendency to follow rabbit holes, which led to YouTube videos, which led to ADDITUDEMAG.com, which led to…. There’s some great (and not so great) resources out there.
I had no trouble (middle-aged female with multiple comorbidities). I went to a licensed psychologist for testing (lots of paperwork). I was expecting an ADHD diagnosis, based on my therapist's observations and her personal experience with it, and although he did find ADHD, autism spectrum disorder was the "bigger" diagnosis for me.
I'm not a doctor and am not giving medical advice, and the psychiatrist you saw obviously could be right about there being a medical issue, but... I went down the same path with neurologists, and I walked away feeling even more invalidated and defeated.
My general experiences with male doctors is that they carry a particular bias against female patients experiencing any sort of behavioral health issue. And most doctors (male or female) tune out when a patient describes their symptoms like they've been researching them.
When you come across any doctor who invalidates or gaslights you, don't hesitate to ditch them and find someone else.
I'm so sorry you're going through this! Know you're not alone. I have felt broken, too. It's never your fault. And there's nothing about you that needs to be fixed, just validated, so that you can make sense of your life, start to heal, and seek ways to improve your quality of life!
Thank you so much for your kind words! That doctor did not understand ADHD at all, and clearly thought it was just about hyperactivity. Also though, I think the whole network doesn't diagnose ADHD. They don't see it as a real disorder. Then there's me over here, hitting almost every single symptom, square on the head. I thought I was quirky and unique and strange, and turns out, I just have ADHD! So many of my long held habits, issues, strengths, pet peeves, favorite things etc etc trace back to ADHD. It's wild. My whole family has it, and there's definitely ASD in the mix as well. It's so good to connect with a community of people who all know how it feels to have my kind of brain, and that's been astounding.
I saw another doctor, one familiar with ADHD, got a diagnosis and started on Strattera, which has been great! A good experience all around. Thanks again. A hug or a high five to you (whichever you prefer).
I didnt even know what ADHD was until I went to the doctor. I told him about my history of depression anxiety and the symptoms I had, and asked for help for that. I told him 'if I could just focus and concentrate on things, I know I can conquer this life', I asked if there was anything to help focus, concentration and depression, and it was him that suggested attention deficit. He looked at attention meds and it was something he can't prescribe, so sent me to the mental health team, mental health said 'maybe ADHD', they sent me to the ADHD team, I was assessed and they diagnosed ADHD. I didnt even know what impulsive meant. The assessor asked if I was impulsive and all I could think of was impulse buying at the tills in the shop. We're born with ADHD so we dont know any different, We are ADHD and ADHD is us. If you have ADHD, just be yourself, because it shows. You are it and a specialist will be able to tell. If you're forgetful in life, you'll forget things in your appointment. We have bad time keeping, so being late or very early is a sign of ADHD. We're impulsive so you'll do impulsive things in your appointment. We lose concentration and zone out so you will at some of the things they discuss. That's normal for us. Some of us hate eye contact, some of the most simplest things don't compute and are difficult to understand. You dont tell someone you think you have ADHD, you already have it, you've had it all your life, and so you dont know what it is. You're there to find out. If you have ADHD, just be yourself because ADHD doesnt develop, we're born with it. Dont tell them you think you have it because of this and that, show them, give them examples. They need proof and enough evidence to diagnose, if you have ADHD, 'you' are all the evidence and proof they need. 👍
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