AskBeehaw

I wrote a rather long comment a little while back about my experience with getting diagnosed last year, with emphasis on getting medicated.

I've included the link below, but having skimmed it just now, here's some context that might make it more relevant for your specific question:

Thought there was something "off" for years, but couldn't put my finger on it. Last year, one of my wife's relatives got an adult ADHD diagnosis, and his description of his symptoms made something click into place for her. She found an online self-test and sent me the link.

I was mildly insulted. I didn't like that she thought there might be something wrong with my brain, but on the other hand she's rather good at reading people, and I wasn't about to brush off her suspicion just because I didn't like the implications.

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) (PDF)

Took the test, and I rated very high in most sections, although not the ones about not being able to sit still, feeling restless, etc. I started reading up on ADHD, and everything just made total sense. Everything that felt "off" my entire life was textbook AD(H)D.

I printed out the test and the evaluation key (the one I linked above is the same as the one I took, but formatted slightly differently), did the test again. Then I wrote a bullet point list of the things I had issues with, basically a comprehensive list of my symptoms and their effects on my daily life. I should probably mention at this point that I live in Denmark, and YMMV with the following, depending on where you're located. It's also worth mentioning that psychiatrists (and not psychologists) are the only ones that are allowed to give the diagnosis in Denmark.

Took the papers to my doctor, explained my suspicions about ADHD, showed him the test results and my list of symptoms. He referred me to a psychiatrist for evaluation. Had to wait 6 weeks for my first meeting — apparently, a large portion of my generation is getting evaluated in Denmark right now, because almost none of us were as kids. Basically, if you weren't bouncing off the walls (I wasn't), or if you were a girl (I'm not, but relevant later), there was nothing wrong with you.

Finally got to my first psychiatrist appointment. Talked about myself, she asked questions about different things, growing up, school, jobs, fault life, why I thought I might have ADHD, stuff like that. She then gave me a 20 +page questionnaire to fill out for our next meeting.

Filled out the questionnaire at home. Basically a ton of questions about my current life, and then the same questions again, but in relation to my childhood. Can't remember the name of the questionnaire, sorry.

Went to my next appointment, we went over my answers, and by the end she said "Well, you have ADD." I was very, very relieved. I was worried about finally having everything fall into place, and then have a professional tell me I was wrong. Luckily, that didn't happen.

I asked about the next step. Should we talk about cognitive therapy? Coping mechanisms? "Oh no, psychiatrists only diagnose and handle meds. You need to go find a psychologist for the other stuff. Are you open to try medication?" I said yes.

This is basically where my previous comment kicks in: https://beehaw.org/comment/544089

The only thing I'd add is that if you're a woman, the symptoms of ADHD can be drastically different than those experienced by men; my understanding is that the research on female ADHD is only just beginning to catch up, and you need to read up on female ADHD specifically so you don't dismiss ADHD because you can't make the "classic" symptoms (almost exclusively based on male research) fit.

Best of luck with your journey — whether you get the diagnosis or not, finding out either way is a relief. If it turns out you don't have ADHD, you know you should probably keep digging into the alternatives (some flavor of autism being a tangential avenue, but certainly not the only one).

I hope you find some closure, and hopefully get some tools to help you improve.

Speaking of tools, have a look at this awesome (and eloquently titled!) post by fossilesque@mander.xyz: How To Unf*ck Your Life When You Have ADHD, and maybe poke around /c/neurodivergent a bit. Good advice to be found, as well as good people for sharing experiences and advice. There's also !adhd-college@mander.xyz which is quite good.

I was diagnosed with ADHD by a psychiatrist who interviewed me for an hour. At the end of the session he took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, “well you’re definitely a pretty severe case…”

It may not be as hard as others are making it out to be, because there is improvement on the understanding of adult ADHD. If you can find someone who specializes in ADHD and especially adult ADHD, that'd be your best bet for getting help.

I also highly recommend watching videos from Dr. Russell Barkley, and reading (or even just skimming parts as relevant) his book "Taking charge of Adult ADHD 2e"

I got an ADHD evaluation from a therapist at my college through the college's free health service. I remember one of the tests was a Tower of Hanoi puzzle. I tried to explain that that result might be skewed because I had studied the algorithm for that puzzle in computer science class the week before. Anyway, I ended up diagnosed with ADHD.

I've also gotten evaluations for my kids. I know that's a bit different from an adult diagnosis, but I think the process of setting up the evaluation is the same: find a neurologist, call and say, "I think I might have ADHD. Can I make an appointment for a test?" If they ask, tell them about the reasons for your suspicions.

If you're in the US It's probably a good idea to talk to your primary care physician first just to get a referral to appease your insurance provider. I'm sure they won't think you're weird or obsessive. No one expects you to have firm evidence of a condition before you're tested for it.

Oh, and I don't think of ADHD as a disorder, despite the second "D". There isn't anything wrong with me. It's just that my brain works differently than the typical brain. That comes with pros and cons.

I knew something was very different about me from childhood, but I didn't have a name for it for the first half of my life. Then my children were both diagnosed with autism and ADHD as children because it was obvious and unmistakable. Three of my niblings also were diagnosed with ASD. Then my brother got an adult ASD diagnosis, apparently during his assessment for Disability. However, the only person qualified to assess an adult where I'm living now required cash in hand, and it was fifteen years between beginning to think "maybe I'm neurodivergent too" to my own ASD/ADHD diagnosis at age 46.

i went straight to a therapist who specializes in it. she chatted with me about my symptoms, lifestyle, childhood, etc. i’m going to get tested for it on wednesday, then decide if i want to get on meds for it if things come back the way i suspect they will.

In Australia you talk to your primary doc to get a referral to a psychiatrist. Diagnosis as an adult they will both be suspicious that you are just after amphetamines. My brother succeeded with a diagnosis as adult. Best of luck.