I was trying to get diagnosed through psych services at school. It's now been 5 weeks since I first called to make an appt. They couldn't see me until like a week later. Went to the first appt w/ a psych trainee (not sure what else to call her), ed psych doctoral student. We talked, she asked questions, etc and she referred me to the psychiatrist because what I was describing sounded like adult add.

Saw the psychiatrist almost 2 weeks later and she said she thought it was adult add as well and even discussed medication with me and we decided on adderall (told me stop taking strattera which a psychiatric nurse had given me aboout 2 wks prior). She didn't prescribe the medication because they have a "procedure" they must follow.

I saw the ed psych student again a few days later. We filled out some questionnaires and she says it sounded like they'd say add was "highly probable" once she scored them. Once she did that though, she'd need to meet with the coordinator of the program to review things and if it was indeed probable they'd need to do some testing.

She called me 1 week later and said that yes, I would need to do testing. They usually administer the WAIS, but cannot because I've administered and scored it. So, I have to do the Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive (3 hrs) and Achievement (4 hrs). The next day we scheduled times to do all this testing... managed to get it all scheduled for next week, which is the last week I'm in town before I go back home for the winter break. Next week will be week 6.

I got a call today that they must reschedule the Cog processes because the person that was scheduled to administer doesn't do that test and there's no one who can this week. So, I have to finish testing when I get back, on Jan 9th I think is the appt.

So, a total of like 9-10 wks later I can finish the testing... which then must be scored then everyone has to meet; psychiatrist, ed psych student, and coordinator and if they agree then i can be prescribed meds. I expect that will take about another week.

Is it reasonable for me to have to wait 2.5 months for help? I've tried to communicate to them politely the urgency and severity of my problems. I am really struggling with getting my work done. I'm in a doctoral program and I really can't afford to screw up and get too behind.

Has anyone had a similar experience with a dx taking so long and involving so much? This seems ridiculous to me.

Umm, I just went to my family doctor and had a prescription same day.... try that route maybe?

I think it's very common to have to wait a long time. It might be cheaper at a university since it it also being used to train students - which would be one reason for a long waiting list. It sounds like your first appointment was a screening. The student probably isn't allowed to make any diagnostic decisions, but has to analyse the results and report them to the supervisor to be aproved.

I had to wait about a month for my first appointment with a psychologist, a couple more weeks for a second appointment and over a month for the last appointment where I got the results. But I had already gotten a tentitive diagnosis from a regular doctor at my school and a prescription. The 5 minute diagnosis was convienient but not assuring. I just wanted to really be sure about the diagnosis (since I knew more about ADD than the doc) and figured I'd be best to do it while still covered under my parents and my schools insurance plans.

Umm, I just went to my family doctor and had a prescription same day.... try that route maybe?I tried that... she doesn't diagnose ADD. It's not something she's familiar enough with to give dxs. :(

I would find another doctor who *does * know enough then... although if your in a hurry to save your grades, tell them not to start you on strattera first... They've put me on that, (last 3 days) and it's done nothing for me, apparently it takes like 2-5 weeks to start working, so I would suggest if you're in a hurry to save your grades, ask for something quick like adderall (seems to be the most common)

Has anyone had a similar experience with a dx taking so long and involving so much? This seems ridiculous to me.

Maybe the length of time is an ADD test in it self (lol).

It seems ridiculous to me also but like the other members posted above have mentioned it is due to the system you are using.

The longest part of my diagnosis was waiting for the appointment. My first appointment lasted three hours but he did my initial visit in one appointment because I traveled a great distance to see this particular doctor. He normally divides the diagnosis part into two appointments due to length of time and all that is involved.

Thank goodness persistence is also an ADD trait. Seems more like you are going through a maze than seeking medical treatment. Did you ask them if there was a piece of cheese at the end of this maze?????

I think a family doctor would be more comfortable putting anyone on Strattera since it is not a stimulant, however they may have more difficulty putting you on ritalin or adderall.

Maybe the length of time is an ADD test in it self (lol). That's exactly what I've been wondering. I've joked with a friend that perhaps it's a screening for those that are just trying to get a script for abuse. They would have given up and moved on to another dr. already. Or perhaps if they weren't seriously impaired by this, they'd be more willing to wait quietly. I've complained the whole way through.

I called the dr. on Friday and left a voicemail (was in session) asking just for clarification about the procudure and what the role of the testing was. I also told her my pcp was willing to write the script on her recommendation, so if she can't write it yet, but would be writing it anyway if the tests were just a screening for LDs, could she just write something to my pcp since this was going to be another month otherwise?
No call back yet, but it was Friday... They may also have rules I guess about even recommending it before they're done. I didn't think about that until later.


Thank goodness persistence is also an ADD trait. Seems more like you are going through a maze than seeking medical treatment. Did you ask them if there was a piece of cheese at the end of this maze?????No, but I think I might say that under the partial-guise of a joke. :p



I decided to try to see a psychiatrist when I'm home for the winter break. I called many many people and managed to get an appointment with someone who does treat adult add on dec 19th. Which is the earliest I could have done anyway, since I arrive that weekend.
Hopefully this will be it and I can finally move on.

Now, I'm not quite sure if I should even do the portion of the testing they were able to schedule before I leave. I guess it couldn't hurt. If I'm already medicated when I get back I'll discuss it with them and figure out how to do that last hour of testing. Maybe if they schedule it well I can go off and take that part. *shrug*

I would find another doctor who *does * know enough then... although if your in a hurry to save your grades, tell them not to start you on strattera first... They've put me on that, (last 3 days) and it's done nothing for me, apparently it takes like 2-5 weeks to start working, so I would suggest if you're in a hurry to save your grades, ask for something quick like adderall (seems to be the most common)I was taking Strattera... I had been taking it for like 2.5 wks or so and the psych at the university told me to stop b/c it wasn't working, I had side effects, wasn't covered by my insurance, and b/c she was going to give me adderall.
She left out the part about that not being until like two months later though. :rolleyes:

I've been consulting with many doctors for a YEAR, and nobody offered testing to me, or pointed me to someone with testing until I went to a new GP and told him i had a strong emotional need for a proper diagnosis and that I felt that simply treating symptoms without a proper ediagnosis was inappropriate. He referered me to a local psych frim that specializes in ADD and learning disorder testing and we hope to form a plan based on it and all of the medical testing and therapy to this date.... :eek:

Last week they tested me with the WAIS , they also tested memory, focusing ability, congnitive function, face and name recognition, handedness, fine motor skills and sensory. By the time I got through the sensory and focusing ability testing I felt rather fried. :faint: I was unable to complete all of the focusing testing because it was so stressful for me that I nearly melted down. I was not on meds that day and I was more than a little scattered and way overloaded by the end of the day. :eek: :faint:

I will go back in January for a consultation and will hopefully get something approaching the quantitative answer that I need so that I can move forward. :)

I agree, the responsiveness of the medical community in these matters is so terribly bad that it is disgraceful. :mad:

On the other hand, it takes 6 months of unabated symptoms to meet the requirements for an ADD diagnosis. Also, sometimes it can be difficult (or impossible) to get a clearcut diagnosis without a lot of study, and the last thing you want to do is to go with a bad DX and end up getting treated for the wrong disorder! :faint:

So I guess you might as well sit down , relax and get comfy, because it is going to take a while to sort it all out no matter what you do.... at least, that is what my experience has been thus far. :p

ME :D


I was trying to get diagnosed through psych services at school. It's now been 5 weeks since I first called to make an appt. They couldn't see me until like a week later. Went to the first appt w/ a psych trainee (not sure what else to call her), ed psych doctoral student. We talked, she asked questions, etc and she referred me to the psychiatrist because what I was describing sounded like adult add.

Saw the psychiatrist almost 2 weeks later and she said she thought it was adult add as well and even discussed medication with me and we decided on adderall (told me stop taking strattera which a psychiatric nurse had given me aboout 2 wks prior). She didn't prescribe the medication because they have a "procedure" they must follow.

I saw the ed psych student again a few days later. We filled out some questionnaires and she says it sounded like they'd say add was "highly probable" once she scored them. Once she did that though, she'd need to meet with the coordinator of the program to review things and if it was indeed probable they'd need to do some testing.

She called me 1 week later and said that yes, I would need to do testing. They usually administer the WAIS, but cannot because I've administered and scored it. So, I have to do the Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive (3 hrs) and Achievement (4 hrs). The next day we scheduled times to do all this testing... managed to get it all scheduled for next week, which is the last week I'm in town before I go back home for the winter break. Next week will be week 6.

I got a call today that they must reschedule the Cog processes because the person that was scheduled to administer doesn't do that test and there's no one who can this week. So, I have to finish testing when I get back, on Jan 9th I think is the appt.

So, a total of like 9-10 wks later I can finish the testing... which then must be scored then everyone has to meet; psychiatrist, ed psych student, and coordinator and if they agree then i can be prescribed meds. I expect that will take about another week.

Is it reasonable for me to have to wait 2.5 months for help? I've tried to communicate to them politely the urgency and severity of my problems. I am really struggling with getting my work done. I'm in a doctoral program and I really can't afford to screw up and get too behind.

Has anyone had a similar experience with a dx taking so long and involving so much? This seems ridiculous to me.

Anilyze,

When you get chance, please check out some of my posts on diagnosis.

While most of them are about kids, I have posted on adults.

In addition, scuro has made a number of references to Russ Barkley's 2000 presentation in S.F.

He discusses diagnosis there as well.

Since most, if not all, of my evidenced based diagnoses are based on that, it might save you some time.

There is no one way to diagnose ADHD.

I believe the more you know about the evidenced based format, the better you'll be able to communicate with psych services.

Good Luck

mctavish23
(Robert)

Yes, I agree. When my GP first said I had "Add-like symptoms" I had no evidence. It took me months to gather all of my anecdotal evidence from the past . The hard part has been that I had to learn what was important and what was not. I virtually have had to learn how to diagnose myself.

While anecdotal evidence is important, it is subjective and is not enough by itself. When it is considered along with information from medical and neuropsych testing a clearer picture emerges.

The issue that I had with my treatment was that I was being treated for symptoms, but had no testing of any kind, and no diagnosis. Real biological problems related to my symptoms were discovered , but only after I insisted on testing. If I had not been proactive and sought testing for all possible causes, neither I nor my doctors would have had a clue as to why ADD was suddenly a problem for me. (pardon me while I rant). Even with new medical information, I was left to follow up on my own. Only after I had gathered a considerable amount of information was I able to take it to a doctor who would listen to me and follow up.

From what I am reading on the forum, this kind of situation is not unusual, as the medical profession seems to have the attitude that nothing can be done for the patient, so they have a tendency to just treat symptoms and not bother to gather information when it comes to treating ADD.

What this means for the patient is that one MUST be proactive and seek out an appropriate diagnosis and actively seek out proper medical care, as the medical profession is very likely to write you off early and assume you are just another case of ADD with no hope for a "cure", and so they treat the symptoms without a proper investigation.

The real truth is that they are probably right, but they have no way of knowing that for a fact. This places the patient at a real risk for misdiagnosis and subsequent treatment for a disorder they might or might not actually have.

Gathering all of the anecdotal evidence , medical and neuropsych testing, and a thoughtful evaluation in light of all the evidence is far preferable to guesswork. I am amazed and shocked to think that guessing seems to be the preferred means of diagnosing patients for ADD.

Me :D

Anilyze,

When you get chance, please check out some of my posts on diagnosis.

While most of them are about kids, I have posted on adults.

In addition, scuro has made a number of references to Russ Barkley's 2000 presentation in S.F.

He discusses diagnosis there as well.

Since most, if not all, of my evidenced based diagnoses are based on that, it might save you some time.

There is no one way to diagnose ADHD.

I believe the more you know about the evidenced based format, the better you'll be able to communicate with psych services.

Good Luck

mctavish23
(Robert)Could you please tell me where to look? Is there a particular thread?

Speedo, I understand what you're saying, but based on some of the research I had done, it is so consistent that the more important thing right now is getting help.
I'm at a point where i cannot afford to wait the time it would take to get that stuff figured out. I'm in a program that was very competative to get into and if I screw up I could lose my funding and be out on my butt.

Yes, getting help now is a good strategy, but don't forget to pursue a diagnosis. It just takes a long time and for some reason it turns into a struggle... so don't give up.

ME :D

Could you please tell me where to look? Is there a particular thread?


I like saving Mct time one of my many oddities!!!! Hope you don't mind if I pop in for a minute and give you some hyperlinks!!!!!!!

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16810

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23025&highlight=scientific+basis

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16812


http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16103


Mct post are such a fav around these parts I have used your request to make a list of some of his most popular and informative threads. I will the save the thread URLs in my documents under ADDF resources. This will save me from doing a search each time a request is made. Thanks for the idea!!!!!

Hope these help!!!

Oh by the way two of threads begin much the same but the individual threads took different directions.

Thanks so much for putting that together. Diagnosis as a search term is impossible and I tried to looking through McT's posts, but gave up by about the 10th page. :p

No problem..glad I could help. :D

Three things give me an edge.

First I have been hanging around this site for over a year.

Second I have good recall. I probably looked through the same ten pages but I remembered which threads were which so I didn't have to look at each individual thread.

Third His work has been requested before therefore I have done the search before and remembered which ones dealt with diagnosis.

Like I said your request helped me because while I was doing my search it dawned on me I how much easier it would be to have been had I kept the information in my Word documents last time. :rolleyes: Before posting this time I made a copy of the thread URLs and saved it in my documents so next request all I will have to do is copy and paste!!!!

At update?
I finally got an rx last Thursday 1/26.
I feel great so far! I think I'll need to increase the dosage, but it may be a bit soon for that. I'm just thrilled to have some relief right now. :D