[ SECRET POST #2066 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2066 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 037 secrets from Secret Submission Post #295.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

ADHD testing

[streetcake]

Has anyone here been diagnosed for ADHD? If so, is the testing supposed to be so...frustrating? I think my psychologist is trying to make ADHD a last result diagnosis(even though testing for it is a last resort for me), and it seems like she's trying to make everything I bring up a problem of anxiety rather than a concentration problem.

Even with some personal stuff like sexual preferences she tried to make it as if it was a result of anxiety, and that made me really uncomfortable.

Is this normal for ADHD diagnosis?

Re: ADHD testing

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe you should get a second opinion... Making a sexual preference a result of anxiety? What?

I hope it gets better for you!

Re: ADHD testing

[biohazardgirl]

I would go for a second opinion, and also to a psychiatrist instead of a psychologist if you can.

Re: ADHD testing

[saku]

you might want to get second/third opinions from different psychologists, tbh. i was (albeit wrongfully) put on like 12 different kinds of adhd medications as a child and not one psychologist i saw forced congress to meet for a prescription. like it was just really easy to get medication.

i remember being asked a lot of questions and having to take that dumb computerised concentration test (where you have to press the key when the x shows up or whatever) and that was it. granted, my deeply internalised depression was overlooked, and this was like 15 years ago, but i would still recommend looking for other opinions for a faster diagnosis.

Re: ADHD testing

[forgottenjester]

I took that text. I don't have ADHD but I took the text.

I liked it for some reason but because I knew it was a test it made me a little anxious.

Re: ADHD testing

[saku]

i honestly thought it was a bad way to test for adhd. now that i've gotten older i do see that i am often "add" in thought and may actually have add but i understood the nature of the test and was able to concentrate on pressing a button when prompted. that doesn't mean i was able to focus when, say, reading textbooks, because i'm totally not lol. so it seemed kind of silly to me.

(kinda OT but nothing is worse than having to reread a sentence 12 times and becoming so self-aware about it that it becomes pretty much impossible to stop thinking about not being able to think and begin thinking about the actual material lmao)

Re: ADHD testing

[forgottenjester]

You know what else is a horrible thing to use as a text for mental health? Splotch tests. Especially when the tester is checking their watch and telling you to hurry it up.

Oh that sucks. ): I'm sorry. It’s like a loop you can’t get out of.

Re: ADHD testing

[(Anonymous)]

If it's making you uncomfortable, don't be afraid to get a 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. opinion. You know yourself better than anyone else, after all.

(As an aside - the testing may be frustrating because she may want to rule out all other possibilities before making the diagnosis of ADHD.)

Re: ADHD testing

[partialsatyr]

yeeeeaaah, get a second opinion. i was actually diagnosed pretty easily by my doctor (though in his defence, he had known me for.... 6+ years at that point so he probably saw a lot of the warning signs when i finally brought my concerns to him).

honestly if your therapist is making you uncomfortable, you might want to look into finding a new therapist if at all possible. ideally, you should be able to trust your therapist to understand and support you, not make you feel like you need to hide things from them.

Re: ADHD testing

[(Anonymous)]

I had the opposite problem: I thought the person I saw (via videoconferencing, for added wtf) was way too quick to diagnose me as having ADHD, apparently because a couple of different antidepressants didn't work for me and I'm not suicidal. It didn't make me any more sanguine when I checked up the medicine she prescribed and it's contraindicated for people with a family history of high blood pressure and heart disease--which I have, and put on the intake form.

Re: ADHD testing

[oroburos69]

I've been diagnosed since I was six, and I recently was retested for documentation/student disability purposes.

The initial test (when I was six) was some computer concentration thing. Frankly, my strongest memory of that was of peeling the fake wood laminate off the psychiatrist's desk, and then feeling bad for destroying things. It was super boring.

More recently it was a test to see where I was academically, and where my weaknesses were. That one it was treated as pre-determined that I had ADHD. That wound up being about four or six hours of testing over two days, and covered math, concentration, learning speed, spatial awareness, writing ability, short and long term memory, etc. I found this test surprisingly stressful and upsetting, because it was aimed at rooting out my weakness (I've spent a lot of time and effort making certain that my weakness NEVER COME UP in my everyday life. It was upsetting to have them focused on).

So no. What you're describing isn't what I experienced. I do know that usually there's questioning of whoever is closest to you (they talked to my mom and my best friend, the most recent time) and teacher's observations/notes (from when I was six).

What they're probably looking for is long-standing problems--like from childhood onward. Are you describing the problem as having "started recently"? Because they might be misreading that as "I never had problems until I was older", which obviously would make them think that it isn't ADHD.

If you have another appointment with them, I'd advise you to not downplay the issue. I know that you've probably spent most of your life playing an elaborate shell game to distract people from your problems, but you need to tell the psychiatrist the truth. Admittedly I'm guessing here, but it's not: "I'm having trouble dealing NOW", right? It's more like "I've spent my entire life failing to live up to my own expectations in small, subtle ways, but now that I'm an adult, it's a million times worse. I'm drowning". I mean, I could be wrong, but that was my experience. If it's ADHD, you've had it since birth. Don't be afraid to admit that this is a long term problem.

If your psychiatrist refusing to diagnose you...well, if it comes out that they simply won't, then (beyond a second opinion):

1) Have you researched ADHD? There aren't many good online resources (that I know of), but if you have access to a public library or you can get to a book store and skim, there are a lot of books that I've found really helpful. Many of them are aimed at coping mechanisms to help you handle everyday life--that stuff is at least as helpful as medication.

2) Anxiety makes ADHD into a raging storm of disorganized hell and depression. You can have both problems, and it can make your life a million times harder than just ADHD, or just anxiety. The two come packaged together a lot, too. You might want to consider what the psychiatrist is saying, and see if any of it is helpful.

3) Coffee is a decent substitute (not fabulous, but it works well enough when you desperately need to do something that you can't concentrate enough to start) for ADHD medication.

4) Seek out structure. Schedules, timetables, mandatory attendance, deadlines--I know, I know, they're terrifying, but they are where you're most likely to thrive. Pressure is your friend, so long as it isn't crushing.

5) Success follows success. Make a deal with yourself to just START something (write 100 words, or wash one plate, or clean the counter, or walk around the block--small stuff). Chances are that once you've started it, you'll continue.

If you want to ask questions about...whatever, really, feel free to PM me.

Re: ADHD testing

[elialshadowpine]

o.O

Uh... I was evaluated by a nurse practitioner psychiatrist (as an adult), and it was a matter of basically going through an involved self-exam with some more detailed questions afterward. I also have a diagnosed anxiety disorder along with bipolar, and she pretty much... when I explained how much research I had done, trusted me in that, while asking questions to rule out other possibilities.

There are some docs that have overreacted to the "ADHD is overdiagnosed" thing, when honestly, it is... hm. I'm not going to say that it's not important to get the full story with adults, but they are more capable of judging whether medication is helpful, providing feedback, and working with a psych for treatment, whereas with kids... if they are young enough, they may NOT be able to give adequate feedback, plus there is a huge issue with parents or teachers pressuring to stay on medicine that makes them complaint rather than really helping. As an adult, you have much more control to say "Uh, no, this drug makes me a zombie and WE WILL BE TRYING SOMETHING ELSE" (and finding another doc if the doc doesn't listen).

Re: ADHD testing

[(Anonymous)]

I was 4 when I was diagnosed, so testing definitely didn't go like that. =P

Get another opinion. Your psychologist doesn't seem in the best place to judge it if she's asking questions like that and trying too hard to make it about anxiety.