Hi. I have been wondering how to get an assessment for neurodivergence as I seem to struggle with some day-to-day things. I seem to relate to a lot of memes from the adhd and autism communities. I also seem to have a good amount of traits that overlap with autism and adhd.
How did you get your diagnosis? Do you have any advice regarding obtaining an assessment?
Well, as a first step I would recommend not putting it off for 20 years, but if you have ADHD well… good luck.
For me (diagnosed 3 days ago), I booked in with a psych and waited the 4 months until I had my appointment.
During that time I tried to note down the things I struggled with because I knew I would forget everything when I got to the appointment. Then just explaining the issues I have while there, and voila.
I pick up meds later today and tomorrow I’m going to pick up that guitar again and bloody stick with it.
I also recommend writing down symptoms - For me it varies a lot from day to day and it can be difficult to remember what the more extreme symptoms are like when I’m not experiencing them.
I should have written more.
Oh well, I am keeping a vague journal now of improvements / progress.
I have noticed that the music that plays in my head constantly is a higher bitrate now. I have Backstreet Boys ‘Tell me why’ playing with perfect clarity.
- Ask Family Dr for referral to psychiatrist. 1.5. Wait a while to set appointment
- See psychiatrist
- Follow the process and receive professional diagnosis that will hold up and is officially recognized
- Do not spend a penny of your own money in the process. It is or should all be covered.
Point 4 is highly dependent on where you live
Point 4 is more to bring awareness to folks that having to pay for a private paychologist or “diagnosis program” out of pocket is an abhorrent bottleneck that doesn’t actually have to be the case. It might take a bit longer but its worth getting it done and over with through a psychiatrist, particularly given the fact that medication is one of the foundational resources to facillitate treatment.
Again, that depends on the country you live in. In some countries it’s as easy as seeing the family GP and then being prescribed meds. But you will pay a doc consultation fee. In some countries medical insurance is optional and you will pay for any consultation. In some countries there is free health care for all but it comes with a long waiting period. In some countries ADHD is not even recognized as a treatable condition.
I think to further save time/money you can contact your insurance and ask for the referral yourself. My insurance company actually has a web portal that allows you to search for providers in your area that are covered by them and shows if they have availabilities, reviews, and all that good stuff.
After not having been to a doctor since I was 17 and my parents were taking me, my ex-wife convinced me to get a check-up. They had me fill out a bunch of forms, several of which were questions about anxiety and depression and patience and what not. The nurse does the usual vital checks, they drew some blood, then a doctor asked me a ton of questions, making notes. Leaves. Comes back 10 minutes later and says I have ADHD, Borderline Personality Disorder and he is giving me a referral to see a specialist to test if I had autism.
I never actually got to see the specialist (whole other can of worms I don’t really want to type out) so I still don’t have any diagnosis for ASD.
Can I ask you what borderline means in the male context? Like, how does it manifest foe you? The only male person I’ve ever heard of having it is Pete Davis from SNL
I only first heard of it through my diagnosis myself, but it explains a lot about my difficulties controlling my emotions. There is no middle ground; it’s either full volume or off. If I’m sad, I’m depressed. If I’m angry, I’m seething. If I’m happy, it’s euphoric. Or I’m just entirely numb to the point where I felt maybe I was sociopathic or something.
I was in the same boat two weeks ago and I looked at youtube videos explaining it. Now I’m sure I have it and I have an appointment for a diagnosis in 3 weeks.
I can highly recommend ADHD Jesse to find out what ADHD is and what it isn’t and to learn how different people deal with it as well as anything from HealthygamerGG to understand how it (and a lot of other mental stuff) works.
I was able to get a prescription just from a family doctor: no referral needed. In fact, it was my first appointment with them since I had moved a few years ago and hadn’t needed a doctor since. They went through a questionnaire about how frequently I experienced certain manifestations of symptoms in regular interactions with people, and the score was enough for them to move forward with medication.
From what I have seen, it is typically a much more involved process. If it matters, the prescription was for Straterra, which is not a controlled substance, so that might have meant we needed to go through fewer hoops. My doctor seemed willing to try other medications though. I also went to a smaller practice rather than a big hospital, so maybe that makes it easier to advance things.
I chose to get evaluated in the exact same process as you, even first thinking about the idea after seeing a lot of relatable neurodivergent memes. Over a couple months, I made a list of odd behaviors I seemed to do unusually frequently, and what prompted them. I realized it was very likely more than just unrelated personality quirks that were disrupting my life and making it harder for me to do basic things that others seemed to not struggle with. I also had a decent amount of my list be best explained by autism, but honestly I was more scared of that label and didn’t bring it up with my doctor. I wanted to see if ADHD treatment would help with the others first.
So far, the benefit I’ve had with Straterra has been pretty minor compared to the side effects, but I saw other people saying it took time to adapt to it, and anyway I can try others too. My doctor originally recommended it because it was working for some of her other patients. I’m going to probably finish the supply I have and try something else.
Anyway, that’s my ADHD diagnosis story so far. I can answer questions if you think of any.
I was lucky enough to already be seeing a psychiatrist, and during one appointment I mentioned I was feeling attacked by memes that a friend had been sharing, specifically the ADHD ones. He asked me to show them to him and after three he handed me paperwork to fill out, a questionnaire for my mom and one for me, and then the next appointment he looked at the paperwork for about three minutes and asked if I had any issues with trying a new medication. That was June, and other than my other health issues, life is so much different than I ever thought it could be.
talk to your GP or fnp and get a referral. Some will just prescribe you but I’d suggest finding someone to talk to as well. They can help you with aspects the medicine can’t. I was prescribed and never had any real treatment unless I got in trouble at school. This led to me ditching it every few months thinking I was fine when I wasn’t. Obviously this is more expensive and everyone is different so ymmv.
I was “lucky” . My youngest brother has Autism and was tested for it at a very young age. After my parents got his diagnosis they had me and my other siblings tested.
In what country do you live? That has a lot to do with how it will work for you.
For me (specific to ADHD in Michigan, USA), I started reading up a lot on the subject to help my son, and realized that I fit a lot of the criteria. Not so much day-to-day obvious things, but more in the overall arc of my life. “Gifted”, but struggle to fulfill my potential, constantly feeling overwhelmed with details, trouble remembering anything that happened more than a couple of years ago (maybe that one is just me).
In any case, I read a couple of books on adult ADHD, and it really clarified things for me. I put together a list of the reasons why I thought I had it, and made an appointment with a local mental health professional. In my case, it was a nurse-practitioner rather than a psychiatrist. He took me through a number of questions & said it was pretty clear that I had ADHD. Then we talked through appropriate medication & landed on Straterra / Atomoxitine.
The medication has been very helpful, though there are some annoying side-effects that I’m still working through. More helpful has been the growing understanding of what my limitations are, and building up more effective ways to work around them. It also helps me feel less guilty about dropping the ball on some things. And I’m working toward changing key elements of my career, including a job change, though I’m not there just yet.
