so i guess i really don't have adhd then

[silivrentoliel]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy12

i saw the private adhd specialist today. He too thinks it's highly unlikel that i have adhd. He said now i fit all the symptom but based on my early childhood it seems unlike in particular, he said if i did have adhd I'd never have been a voracious reader as i was as kid, i wouldn't have been able to learn to play an instrument or how to read sheet music. And the fact that I did pass most exams by cramming the night adore that with adhd i wouldn't have been been able to study at all. He said he won't st out adhd but he recommends treating the depression very aggressively. i guess i should be relieved and in a way i am. Now i don't have to worry anymore if she PREGNA worry about any potential Kids inheritating it.

What a crock of horse crap. I began devouring books at the age of 8 and I haven't stopped yet. I still go through massive novels (think "Gone With The Wind" sized) in a week.



If you weren't on the other side of the pond, I'd hunt him down and slap him.

[sarek]

I think being a voracious reader seems to be more a positive than a negative indication of ADHD. Of course I am an avid reader too.

[sarahsweets]

Tell this doctor to f**k off and that you read just fine. I would suggest that your doctor does not read at all judging from the misinformation you've been fed. You're not an idiot but your doctor sure is.

[Sandy4957]

Ridiculous.

But here's the thing, Fuzzy, treating the depression first isn't a BAD idea, only because the level of ADHD impairment will drop when the depression is relieved. But, of course, if you aren't treating the ADHD it may be harder to treat the depression successfully.

Man, all of a sudden I am no longer a fan of state health care. Or at least, I'm glad to be able to choose my own doctors. Was this the PRIVATE guy???!!!

It just sounds so uninformed. Seems to me that by his criteria, 90% of girls and primarily inattentive boys would NOT qualify...

Maybe we should have a little ADDF "field trip," where everyone from this forum who fails to meet his criteria can show up in his waiting room, and we'll all talk at once and let him figure out how ADHDish we are... I tell you what, I will happily pay Meadd's plane fare, 'cause she's a voracious reader DESPITE ADHD and dyslexia, and there is no way no how that anyone could be in the same room with her and NOT know that she has ADHD!!! Girl can TALK!!! And that's MEDICATED!!! (Actually, I just like having an excuse to get us all together again. ).

[Amtram]

OK, one thing that might be complicating the issue is that countries that use WHO standards for diagnosis have different criteria for acknowledging comorbids, as they keep statistics on primary diagnoses only. This may be changing, I don't know, but it's one of the reasons that it's nearly impossible to compare statistics between US and European studies. Doctors there might be pressured to come up with an umbrella diagnosis, or might have a bias because of this that makes them feel that a single or primary diagnosis is sufficient.

You might be able to convince the doctor after you've adhered to the prescribed treatment for a few months that you still have symptoms the medication isn't addressing. That might be the only way to find out whether or not you need something different, anyway.

[Sandy4957]

Well, and Fuzzy, even my private psychiatrist here in the states treated me in "layers," if you will. So we treated the ADHD first (only because it was the easiest), then depression, then cyclothymia, and finally, PTSD. At this point, I still have ADHD and cyclothymia, but they're not debilitating. And the PTSD is still an issue but not often debilitating, if that makes sense. So don't despair. The strategy is not unsound, even if it makes it seem as though he's minimizing the potential impairment.

[jiffyPOP]

Originally Posted by Luvmybully

Geeze Fuzzy I don't know what to say right now.

So people with adhd don't read, can't learn to read sheet music, play musical instruments and are unable to pass a test?

Oh my.

Agreed 100%. I can read sheet music, I play an instrument, and did well in school by cramming all nighters before every test I ever took. I have no clue where your ADHD specialist got training from, none of these abilities rule out ADHD. It is just a bizarre Dx.

[Abi]

Originally Posted by Amtram

OK, one thing that might be complicating the issue is that countries that use WHO standards for diagnosis have different criteria for acknowledging comorbids, as they keep statistics on primary diagnoses only. This may be changing, I don't know, but it's one of the reasons that it's nearly impossible to compare statistics between US and European studies. Doctors there might be pressured to come up with an umbrella diagnosis, or might have a bias because of this that makes them feel that a single or primary diagnosis is sufficient.

You might be able to convince the doctor after you've adhered to the prescribed treatment for a few months that you still have symptoms the medication isn't addressing. That might be the only way to find out whether or not you need something different, anyway.

This.

The WHO ICD-10 [I think that's what it's called] is used in the UK.

Only about 1/4 to 1/3 of people who meet the criteria for ADHD under the DSM-IV will meet the criteria for it's ICD-10 [or whatever] equivalet (hyperkinetic disorder).

[Sandy4957]

Stoooopid...

[sarahsweets]

Fuzzy I have no more advice but sending (((hugs))) your way.

[purpleToes]

No matter what the underlying cause of your symptoms, I think you're unlikely to find a trustworthy doctor in the world who wouldn't attempt to treat your depression first, given how acute it is. (but I wish doctors would be open to trying stims sooner, rather than as a last resort, when the symptoms are ambiguous for depression vs ADHD.) As crystal8080 wisely said, the depression needs treating no matter whether it is secondary or an independent problem. Feeling better is feeling better.

FWIW, in the U.S. at least, there's some legitimacy for adding stimulants to antidepressants for very treatment-resistant depression. That was the rationale for giving me stims for the first time, and that was over 10 years ago. (I don't believe depression was ever my primary problem, but in my case, I didn't have severe mood symptoms either, just a dysthymia that I always felt came directly from being disappointed in myself and frustrated with all the stuff I couldn't do, not negative beliefs about myself.) So even if you never receive a diagnosis of ADHD, and your ADHD-like symptoms don't resolve with antidepressant treatment, and your doctor still insists on forcing all your symptoms to fit a depression diagnosis, it might be that stimulants could still be considered as an "adjunct" therapy, as was done in my case.

[purpleToes]

I'd be a bit concerned that the ADHD specialist seems to think that ADHD is a learning disability/disorder, which it is not. Not sure I'd want to continue with this particular specialist without some clarification on that.

[AshT]

Originally Posted by Lunacie

Another voracious reader here.

My mom would come to turn off my bedside light at night and find me asleep

with my glasses on and a book open nearly every night.

I still fall asleep reading a book with the light burning half a century later.

It seems ridiculously hard to get diagnosed with ADHD in the UK,

especially for adults.

I was told by my doctor when I was being diagnosed that even if they suspect you have ADHD, you must cross a certain threshold of severity in order to be diagnosed. So you could have severe ADHD and know within yourself you desperately need help and feel like a ticking time-bomb - but if they think you are coping they may not diagnose you. Until it's too late and damage may have been done.

The hinted reason was not wanting the NHS to pay out.

Fuzzy, you are well within your human rights to ask for a second opinion and I suggest you do so. If they can brush you off - they will.

Can I suggest the Lothian ADHD in Edinburgh? It's seriously good and i've heard good things about it from another adhd charity far down south in england.

The assessment took about 6 months but it was thorough and I was pleased with that.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought you were in scotland for some reason.

[spunkysmum]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy12

i saw the private adhd specialist today. He too thinks it's highly unlikel that i have adhd. He said now i fit all the symptom but based on my early childhood it seems unlike in particular, he said if i did have adhd I'd never have been a voracious reader as i was as kid, i wouldn't have been able to learn to play an instrument or how to read sheet music. And the fact that I did pass most exams by cramming the night adore that with adhd i wouldn't have been been able to study at all. He said he won't st out adhd but he recommends treating the depression very aggressively. i guess i should be relieved and in a way i am. Now i don't have to worry anymore if she PREGNA worry about any potential Kids inheritating it.

What the heck kind of specialist is this guy?

I was a voracious reader as a child, and I knew how to play an instrument and how to read sheet music.

I also did the cramming thing on occasion.

Now, I'm not trying to push an ADHD diagnosis on you, don't get me wrong.

I am just saying that NONE of those points are REMOTELY valid reasons for ruling out ADHD.

If that doctor thinks they are, they are no more qualified to be an ADHD specialist than my cat is.

[oneup]

Hey Fuzzy,
One of the obstacles your facing if you do have ADHD is to make the person evaluating you understand how ADHD has negatively affected your life at different points in time, including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. For when you were younger, any specific stories, chronic behavior problems, learning issues...basically however it affected your life negatively. For this part I found talking with my parents helped to some degree...that and reflection and reading on ADHD.

The other thing is to be able to explain why you were able to accomplish back then (learning an instrument, etc.) in spite of your ADHD. For example maybe your parents put alot of pressure on you, and hired a music tutor. Every pdoc and therapist has always asked me in one form or another, basically "If you have ADHD, (*and it is bad enough that it needs to be treated), then how did you graduate from the university without treatment?" So I make sure to address this point when I go over my life story.

The * part above they will never ask you, but they may site this as a reason not to treat ADHD even if they say you maybe have it...which is really sucky. But the thing he mentions about being a voracious reader...that has nothing to do with ADHD, except that maybe the most severe ADHD'ers are too hyper as kids to want to sit and read. So maybe he's only familiar with the most severe side of ADHD? It sounds almost impossible to get dx as an adult in the UK...