I am in the US and my therapist didn’t offer any screening but gave a referral, which basically amounted to a doctor coming in and asking why I thought I had ADHD (to which I answered several reasons including scattered thoughts) to which the response was: “you think you have ADHD because you’re forgetful?” And that tbh made me feel pretty defeated. They offered a prescription and I said no and that was that :/
I have actually had medication once without any medical guidance when I was a kid in middle school (maybe 7 or 8 years prior to therapy when I found a loose concerta pill) and I did all my homework that day. I remember being blown away by how I was able to focus, and the problems seemed so much more satisfying to do. Medication probably would help me a lot but I was raised by psychiatrist parents who distrust psychiatric medication and kind of brainwashed us to not get any diagnoses or medication so it’s kind of hard to get over the fear that they’ve instilled in us even though I’ve already tried it and nothing bad happened. I definitely resent them for that
https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf ask if a LCSW (most licensed therapists) or really any mental health provider will proctor this for you. Don’t read it before they give it to you or it will skew your answers. This is what I was given before being offered medicine. Then when I responded well to the medication my psychiatrist was like “yeah you probably have ADHD. lets see how you do on the meds”. Good luck.
Yeah they are. My dad is more of a “everyone else can use the medicine I prescribe but our kids have to stay pure because we don’t have those kinds of problems and if we did taking medicine is a cop out” kinda person and my mom is only a neurologist but would talk to patients about herbal medicine, acupuncture, and how they shouldn’t get vaccines. Thank god they’re both retired and I don’t have to hear their whining about hospital policy and the continuing education requirements they should have taken more seriously.
Something to understand about ADHD is that it’s very much a “physical” issue. It’s a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts the signal pathways between your pre-frontal cortex (the brain’s filter) and the amygdala (fight, flight, freeze). Some people’s brains can sort of re-wire over time and you’ll develop coping mechanisms, but I’m 39 and mine sure didn’t. The stimulant medications stimulate various neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine which helps those malformed neural pathways function more effectively. It also tends to help with anxiety which often goes hand in hand with ADHD. Do yourself a little favor and read this article from Cleveland Clinic, they’ve been recommended to me by several health providers as a reputable source. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4784-attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-adhd
I am in the US and my therapist didn’t offer any screening but gave a referral, which basically amounted to a doctor coming in and asking why I thought I had ADHD (to which I answered several reasons including scattered thoughts) to which the response was: “you think you have ADHD because you’re forgetful?” And that tbh made me feel pretty defeated. They offered a prescription and I said no and that was that :/
I have actually had medication once without any medical guidance when I was a kid in middle school (maybe 7 or 8 years prior to therapy when I found a loose concerta pill) and I did all my homework that day. I remember being blown away by how I was able to focus, and the problems seemed so much more satisfying to do. Medication probably would help me a lot but I was raised by psychiatrist parents who distrust psychiatric medication and kind of brainwashed us to not get any diagnoses or medication so it’s kind of hard to get over the fear that they’ve instilled in us even though I’ve already tried it and nothing bad happened. I definitely resent them for that
https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf ask if a LCSW (most licensed therapists) or really any mental health provider will proctor this for you. Don’t read it before they give it to you or it will skew your answers. This is what I was given before being offered medicine. Then when I responded well to the medication my psychiatrist was like “yeah you probably have ADHD. lets see how you do on the meds”. Good luck.
Your parents sound like shitty psychiatrists.
Yeah they are. My dad is more of a “everyone else can use the medicine I prescribe but our kids have to stay pure because we don’t have those kinds of problems and if we did taking medicine is a cop out” kinda person and my mom is only a neurologist but would talk to patients about herbal medicine, acupuncture, and how they shouldn’t get vaccines. Thank god they’re both retired and I don’t have to hear their whining about hospital policy and the continuing education requirements they should have taken more seriously.
Something to understand about ADHD is that it’s very much a “physical” issue. It’s a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts the signal pathways between your pre-frontal cortex (the brain’s filter) and the amygdala (fight, flight, freeze). Some people’s brains can sort of re-wire over time and you’ll develop coping mechanisms, but I’m 39 and mine sure didn’t. The stimulant medications stimulate various neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine which helps those malformed neural pathways function more effectively. It also tends to help with anxiety which often goes hand in hand with ADHD. Do yourself a little favor and read this article from Cleveland Clinic, they’ve been recommended to me by several health providers as a reputable source. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4784-attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-adhd