who are these people, where are they, how can i find them and how much do they cost? :)

You mean ADD specialists as in doctors or ADD coaches? Either way, prices vary and you can find either using Google but it'd be better if you can't get a referal from your doctor.

You may get a better response by posting in your regional support section.

It will vary from place to place but you can always contact your local medical association or state psychological association for referral ideas. Good luck.

Most likely they will have a long waiting list. $150/hr is common for any psychiatrist (brain drug MD). I've been told psychologists are better at diagnosis and can tell you they are more patient than most psychiatrists. Lots of therapists are Liscensed Marriage and Family Therapists LMFT or LSW Liscensed Social Workers which is normally a less educated "class".

I called people on my insurance list till I found someone who sounded serious when he said he was an ADD specialist. I think he's really more of a child psychiatrist though and it would be best to find someone who answers confidently to questions about adult ADD though that is hard to find (thus the waiting list).

I had got refferals for specialists who were not on my insurance and got scared by the long waits or refusal to accept new patients or the price quoted for a full diagnosis (about $1,000) so I went with the child psych for a fixed fee of $500 for three visits that were at least full hours of patient listening and some knowledgeable advice. My non-specialist psychiatrist was a nice guy but wanted to push me out of the door after 20 minutes. He was noncomittal and just offered a pill to "see if it helped". The kid specialist at least prescribed the right thing (after talking with three shrinks I had been seeing) but now I've only got $50.00 left on my fixed fee and am not quite finished or resolved.

I'd be better off if I'd have gone with the flexible $1,000 estimate perhaps, since now it'll take $300 to get a new doc up to speed if I want to change docs. Anyways I'm better of than if I'd stuck with the original generic insurance psychiatrist.

I'm seeing a new psychologist also who said she dealt with ADD but that's really not the case. At least she studied it in school... the LMFT couple's counselor we were seeing initially said he thought ADD was a bogus diagnosis: he blathered something about "giving speed to children" as his hand quivered pouring himself coffee from a thermos in his scatter-brained way each thursday afternoon! LOL!

My personal therapist (an LSW) said immediately that I was absolutely ADD when the generic psychiatrist (reffered for depression) suggested the possibility of ADD. My current understanding is that the ADD is less of my problem and "repressed anxiety" is the bigger issue.

The kid psych has me on Effexor which is helping with that (what a relief) now I'm wanting to look again at the ADD. The new psychologist is willing to discuss ADD if I push it but her real love is talk therapy and something more akin to psychodrama. That may be a good idea but I've been in talk therapy most of my life (with minimal results) and still want to know if a combo of antidepressants and stimulants might be the ticket for my particular problems. The kid psych is hesitant to try stimulants because I didn't respond to them before (in combination with stimulating wellbutrin (made me obsessive)) and because of my substance abuse history probably though he doesn't say that, I suspect it and I suspect a patronizing child approach.

Others here have talked repeatedly about the importance of finding a doc that you trust. I tend not to trust docs anyways but I think you can tell from my story the posssible pitfalls of taking the cheap/easy route. I have managed OK but could have done better. I'd highly recommend finding the best specialist you can and being sure you are comfortable with them. We are talking about your life and there is nothing more important so no excuses are enough to cop out and take second best for this!

It is always a "crap shoot " if you will in finding any therapist/doctor. Probably word of mouth is the best indicator of who is good and who isnt.If you can find a therapist/doc,etc. who is also ADHD themselves that can be helpful as well.

I wish you much luck and hope things get better.:)

Thanks for the responses.

Here's the deal: I'm 22, think I have inattentive ADD, I'm unemployed and pretty much broke. I do have some savings, but most of that's going to get sunk into books as soon as the next school semester starts. At any rate I'm in no position to sink a large chunk of money into something that's very uncertain. Starting in July I will have insurance, tho...

On the other hand, I'm beginning to feel like I need some kind of meds pretty badly if I'm going to exert any kind of control over my life... mentally, I'm just a spazz and I feel like I'm floating around, not even really participating in my life. I can't get anything done at all.

Of course I'm worried about dealing with docs etc who think of ADD as something for unruly children, or made-up altogether. And although I suppose I've got my fair share of problems, I'm not terribly fond of the idea of going through therapy, having a shrink try to 'cure' me of this thing and that thing. I mainly just want to see what will happen if I get some prescription meds. Or is that too much of a shortcut? I'm not really sure how to proceed...

When you get a chance, please check out .......You Mean I'm Not Lazy,Stupid Or Crazy? by Kate Kelly & Peg Ramundo. It's a great book to start out with and will help with some of your questions.

ADHD is the most widely researched childhood disorder on earth.I hope you can find a doc who understands it well enough to give you a thorough eval. Good luck.