Can my family doctor diagnose ADD?

[ADD-ish]

I am a 35 year old father of 3 with a very patient wife who has put up with a lot from my ADD type tendencies for 11 years

I fit all the symptoms and every online ADD screen test I take puts me "well into" the ADD category.

What next?

Do I have to see a psychologist or can a family doctor diagnose ADD?

What is the overall felling of ADD medicine use and is there a successful, more natural way of dealing with ADD without medication? Vitamins, herbs and supplements, etc.?

Thanks,
Andrew

[MafiaKiddo]

It's best to find a doctor that specializes in ADD but in some areas that's not always possible. The type of doctor is a lot less important then the fact that they are comfortable with treating ADD and knowledgable about ADD and the medications and treatment options available.

If you are very comfortable with your family doctor but they are not to up to date on ADHD one option is to go to a specialist to be tested so at least you are sure about the diagnosis and let them contact your family doctor to discuss treatment options.

Whatever doctor you choose there are a few big warning signs that will show up on the first meeting to tip you off that they don't know what they are talking about. (Surprisingly enough not many will admit to not being knowledgable)

Obviously first is if they say you are too old to have ADD - lol and yes there are still doctors out there that don't believe in ADD or Adult ADD

Second is if they mention that they don't like prescribing certain meds - This varies by doctor but there are doctors that will not prescribe certain drugs. They'll say they don't like a certain med or don't feel comfortable prescribing a certain med. This is a really big red flag item. A doctor that knows about ADHD is not going to ignore a possible treatment option. Not liking or feeling comfortable with a medication is doctor code for I know nothing about this medication so I'm not going to mess with it.

Another sign while we're on meds is if they claim certain medications work better for adults while others work better for children. Or that certain meds work better on ADHD while other meds work better for ADD. The truth is how the meds work depends completely on your body not your age or the type of ADD you have. Thats why most people need to try a few different meds before finding the right one.

The last big sign is if they prescribe meds on the first visit. If you can walk into a doctors office, diagnose yourself and walk out with meds then there is something wrong. The only medical problems that can be truly diagnosed and treated in one visit are everyday virus's like colds and flu's. Pretty much if it is a problem that will only last a week you can treat it in one visit. If the problem is something that won't dissapear by throwing penecillin at it then it takes a bit longer.

Thats all I can think of for now. If anyone has anything else please add to this. LOL I know a lot of people wasted time in the beginning going to the wrong doctors and getting no help like I did so hopefully we can help others not make the same mistake.

I know this is a bit long for an ADDer to read so sorry about that LOL hope it helps a bit though

[Gregster]

No reason your family Dr couldn''t diagnose ADD/ADHD, depending on the doctor. The symptoms aren't that hard to catch, especially if the doctor knows you fairly well. Some doctors may not want to do the diagnosis - they might not "believe" in adult ADHD (there are actually some that don't - "old school" sorts), they may not know enough to confidently diagnose and treat it, or they could be worried about the ramifications vis a vis the DEA, who scrutinizes scrips for controlled substances and who can and will make a doctors life much harder if they think the doctor has been careless or worse with his/her scrips. And who you are will make a difference too - if you are a young male college student you'll be looked at with far more suspicion that if you're a 45 year old married female, and would be less likely to be taken at face value.
W.R.T. medication - that's a matter of personal preferance. Some people don't like the idea of taking medication and some don't care as long as it helps. I'm of the later group personally. I found medication to be an epiphany myself. After 40 years of thinking of my weaknesses as character flaws, I saw the improvements in my behaviour from medication to be astonishing. Meds don't cure you, or remove your particular picadillos, but I find they allow me to actually effect some of the changes in my life that I have always wanted to make but for some reason, never could - ADHD was the primary roadblock, I've now learned. I've not seen any proof that vitamins, suppliments, "natural" treatments, flashing lights, funny sounds or whatever has any benefit to those with ADD - they help some people, and as far as that's concerned - "whatever floats your boat" - but I'd beware of anyone selling expensive courses of treatment especially if they market them as "drug free" or as an alternative to medication - my cynical nature leads me to believe that these are carefully crafted plans to wring vast amounts of money from parents who are afraid of medication and who have the finantial wherewithall or medical insurance necessary to pay $5k or more for repeated courses of treatment.
Psychotherapy has been shown to be as effective as medication, and the combination of meds and therapy works best of all.

[meadd823]

You said you took all the on line test and scored for ADD. Well I agree with the above two post won't add to that.

Understading you have ADD traits this may sound like a strange suggestion. Dr Edward Hallowell has a book called "Answers to Distraction". Now he has two other books out at least but I recommend this one for an "un-medicated" person who suspected ADD because of the way it is designed.

It is set up in sections which can be accessed independently of the other sections. Like you are interested in types of treatment options you can look under table on contense find the page this section started and read just that section. I like it because you don't have to start at page one and read all 350 pages to find the information you are looking for. You can skip over areas that do not apply to you. Should money be a factor many libraries may carry it and you can check it out for free!!!!

There is also a section for finding a professional. His writting is very objective easy to read.

[Hyperion]

I would recommend seeing a psychologist about a diagnosis. I say this both because a psychologist will be better at diagnosing you than a general practice MD, and because psychologists can also offer counseling that can be very effective, whether on its own or in addition to medication. A psychologist cannot prescribe medication, and while they could recommend a medication to ask your doctor about, this is not their specialty.

Most often, a psychologist will give you several tests (for AD/HD, and also often for other learning disabilities, sometimes including an IQ test). The psychologist will then write up a report in which they summarize the results of the tests and offer a diagnosis. At the end of the report, they will list recommendations, and they may recommend that a patient consult a doctor to take medication. If you wish to see your MD about medication, this report will help him in his decisionmaking by outlining your symptoms and offering guidance, especially since he may not be an expert in AD/HD or other learning disabilities. If you choose to see a psychiatrist for medication, which I would recommend, but is more expensive, he may wish to consult with you and discuss your symptoms even with a psych report, as he will likely be well read on the subject and may wish to double-check the psychologists findings.

Regardless, I would recommend seeing a psychologist first for therapy and testing, and taking it from there.

[Pigeon]

this may be repetitive but I went through a few doctors to get properly diagnosed, so it is best to talk to your primary care about it, and if they can't do anything they can reccomend someone who can. Many "regualr" doctor offices have access to general screening tests anyway, usually short mulitple choice ones that can give them a better idea of who can help you best. Sometimes it's them, sometimes it's an associate, sometimes it's a psychologys, just ask 'em they love to help, it's their job! Plus some insurance companies require referrals from primary care docs this way you get both at the same time.