I’m new here so hi and thanks for reading my post. I’ve been lurking around for a while in the background reading a lot of your posts and doing research and now I think I have something to mention.

I’ve got an appointment with a Doctor who specializes in ADD diagnosis (including adults!) next week and I’m just really worried about that the Doc might think that I just want a Ritalin prescription because in all essence …I do.
I feel real bad because of it, but my intentions I believe are genuine.

A quickish summary of my life

As long as I remember I have known I was different in the head compared to most people, always felt I never really belonged. As I kid I never thought anything about my symptoms because that was just the way things were. So I struggled through childhood and always thought that when I grew up I would be normal.

Now ofcourse this never happened and as I became an adult in my twenties (thanks to the World Wide Web) I figured out I had depression. My GP put me on Prozac for a while but never really did much. I suppose it did help a bit but didn’t target the problem – just eased the depression a bit.

Couple of years later after some more research I decided I had Social phobia (was always determined that I would solve this god forsaken problem that I had). On the Clonazepam (and still am) but that has always just been a mask of the social phobia and does nothing for (what I now believe) my (possible) ADD inattentive.


Now
I could go into the symptoms I have for inattentive ADD but I’m sure you’ve read it so many times. I was never hyper or impulsive but apart from that I pretty much have every symptom there is for ADD (slight exaggeration maybe).
I only got onto the ADD thing because my son was diagnosed with a learning disorder but the info I got was so vague so I did some research and stumbled across inattentive ADD and thought…. S**t. No ****ing way!

Anyway back to my big issue… the prescription.

I would be shattered if I didn’t end up with a persciption for a stimulant.
Why I feel like this is that I am sure that I have some degree of ADD that is affecting my life in a lot of ways, and that quite possibly a stimulant will be of great benefit and unshackle some of the chains that have held me back all these years. Yes that’s right folks, I want a drug that is going to work straight away make life more bearable.

I've tried speed a few times which never did much for me and even tried meth a couple of times but was drunk aswell so didnt notice too much. But I've never been interested in getting into hard drugs (just alcohol, cigarettes and the occasional bit of weed).

Anyway, I just want abit of feedback please. Have I got my head up my a** ? Or is it normal to feel like this ?
Would love some advise for my upcoming appointment as I feel it could possibly be a big turning point in my life.
Thanks for your time.

It normal for a person to "second guess" themselves at first;especially when they don't have a diagnosis.

One way for a person to look at things might be to focus on finding a sloution to a legitimate problem.

I wish you well and welcome to the Forum.:)

take care
mctavish23 (Robert)

Hang in there! :) Perhaps you could print out some of the information you have viewed which brought you to this possibility to begin with? It couldn't hurt, right? Welcome to the Forums, and good luck with your appointment.

I was going to say the same thing as ms_sunshine, as I did that same thing. I was just diagnosed last week. After doing tons of research over 2 weeks, I brought in all the documentation I had, including online tests I had completed (one was really short, like 18 questions, and the other was like 80). I then brought information on several medications from places like remedyfind.com as it showed which stimulants worked best. He said it was the most prepared anybody with ADD was and after asking me some more questions he agreed that I had ADD innatentive. He wanted to go with Strattera first though because it's a non-stimulant, but I had some bad side effects (you can read about them in my Strattera posts) and so he's switching me to adderall today.

Anyway, bring your research with you as it makes it much easier for the dr or psych to diagnose you (I would forget all of the information if I tried to remember it, that's why I printed it and brought it in). Whether or not you get stimulant medication will depend on your dr/psych as they all can be different, but at least you'll be on the right track. Good luck!

I agree with Andy & Ms Sunshine....be upfront with your doctor that you think you have ADD & have as much information as you can to back up what you believe.....I knew for a long time that something wasn't right inside my head & mostly attributed it to depression.....even on antidepressants I knew something wasn't right.....I stumbled on some online tests & found this site & have learned alot about ADD & myself.....the pieces to the puzzle fit now......I was well prepared also when I saw my PMD & was started on Strattera.....after having some side effects my doc stopped the Strattera & started me on Adderal.....
I've read many times here that meds are trial & error initially til you find one that works:D

Good luck & welcome,

Nick

Thanks for the support and advise.
I've got a list of all my quirks broken down to when I was a kid to how things are now. It's a long list so I'll use the advise and print it out for my appointment because if I dont I'm sure most of my symtoms wont come to mind while I'm trying to explain my life story and end up sounding vague and unconvincing.
I dont think Strattera is available in my part of the world yet so it will be interesting to see what will get prescribed (if any) if I do get diagnosed with ADD.
THanks again folks and will let you know how I go next week.

www.amenclinics.com (http://www.amenclinics.com)

You might go here too and do the add test, which you can print out and take you your doctor when you go.

good luck!:)

I agree with Crime Scene. If the online questionnaire at that site comes back with "add likely," then try the subtype section next. Print out both for your appointment. :)

Actually done the Amen online tests about 3 times now and same result each time. Got questionaires arrive in the mail today from the doc which he wants me to fill out and bring to the appointmtnt. Includes Dr Amens ADHD test printed straight off his website.
Also have to do a TOVA test and now I'm worried I might do well in it. Dont know alot about the test though.
He also wants me to bring school reports so hopefully mums still got them. From what I remember from them they will back up my suspicions.

If you get a chance, please look up some posts on "Diagnosis."

I think I did 3 or 4 in Oct.'03 that spell out what needs to be included in an ADHD eval for kids.

Computerized Continuous Performance Tests (CPT's) like the Test of Visual Accuity (TOVA) have been shown to be "inappropriate" for diagnosing ADHD ...WHEN USED ALL BY THEMSELVES.

The last part is the most critical piece of info.

I first heard that from Russ Barkley about 2 years ago.

He presented research showing how 50% of people already diagnosed with ADHD passed the test with no problem.

That's called a high rate of "false negatives (you really do have ADHD and it misses you)".

I do have friends and colleagues that I respect as clinical psychologists who combine the TOVA with other measures into a "blended" report.

Having a severe case of ADHD combined type myself, I usually shake my head and smile and let them know I can live with it; as long as they use the right measures.

One of the problems is that there's no standardized way to diagnose ADHD;either for kids or adults.

Here's what Barkley recommends for dxing adults:

Before a clinician does anything, there MUST be evidence of " Impairment in major life activities that cause harmful dysfunction."

No Impairment. No Disorder.

That would cover education, social skills, employment, relationships, driving, etc.

1) Colloborative information from parents/family/spouse/friends/sig others.etc. is the most valuable piece.

The key is for the clinician to look for problems/impairments caused by symptoms that show... "evidence from an early age."

In diagnosing kids, I like to look for the word, "ALWAYS."

For example, " He/she has "always" done this or behaved that way,etc.

For example, one of the highest "risk factors" is nicotine use during pregnancy.

That's why including pre-and peri natal histories is great info. if you can get it.

I lump that under "collaborative info."

Also, the more complicated the birth, the higher the "risk factor."

2) Family history of learning problems, quitting school, difficulty in holding down a job; those kinds of things.

3) For the Inattentive (the old "ADD") only person, you'd want to look for a history of not being able to complete daily schoolwork, a history of frequently being late or missing deadlines, etc. Those kinds of things.

4) Cognitive screening- brief intelliegnece test

5) Academic screening-to look for possible learning problems

6) It's okay to use neuro-psych tests to measure Executive Function, as long as you don't try and diagnose from it (it doesnt have good "ecological validity ( doesn't carry over into matching real world examples of Executive Function)."

7) Last, and most important, Checklists.

Research suports ADHD checklists as being more accurate than any test.At the same time, you shouldn't rely soley on checklists alone either.

Since research also shows that most ADHD adults"under report" their symptoms because they've compenstated for them for so long they seem "normal," having family members, spouses, etc., also complete checklists, helps round out the deal.

I'm not trying to confuse you and I hope I didn't.

What I just posted is how it's recommended that it be done by the world's leading reseacher.

If it isn't done that way, it doesn' mean that it's wrong.

The above info would be the best guideline available.

Either way, I hope this helped give you some more insight into what goes into a diagnosis.

I also wish you much luck.:)
take care
(mctavish 23) Robert