For people in the U.S., I have a Twitter thread on finding a therapist. To get tested and prescribed medication, I went to a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD. I found the psychiatrist the same way I would find a therapist, and if you're already seeing a therapist, they can also help get you started with the diagnosis process.
The testing started with this questionnaire, then I talked to the psychiatrist, and then I took a test where I had to do a boring task for 20 minutes while being recorded. What still cracks me up is because I knew it was a test, I was trying really hard to sit still and thought I would get a score that wouldn't indicate I was hyperactive. I still scored in the 99th percentile for hyperactivity.
I agree "attention deficit" doesn't really fit, and experience the same thing - no trouble reading if I like the topic, and lots of trouble reading if I don't care. Ultimately, what empowered me to go through the diagnosis process was the ADHD memes and threads on Twitter. They gave me the language to use to describe the patterns of symptoms throughout my life, and when I laid it out like that, the psychiatrist said the 20 minute test was basically a formality. It wasn't just what I could focus on, it was also sensitivity to criticism and others' emotions, the inability to get myself up off the couch sometimes, that the adult tasks that required a little bit every day seemed impossible, and more.
A diagnosis changed a lot of things for me. I had been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when I was really struggling with wedding planning (aka managing a lot of details, people, and events). When I started asking myself if I was anxious or if I needed to move around, most of my anxiety went away. The rest disappeared when I stopped expecting myself to be as productive as neurotypicals, gave myself the freedom to fidget, and started expecting myself to forget everything if I didn't write it down. The diagnosis also gave me tools - medication prescribed by the psychiatrist, resources I'll be listing in the rest of the series, and more. I've been able to unpack a lot of shame and focus on functioning rather than unrealistic expectations of myself.
It turns out many women are diagnosed late in life because the diagnostic criteria in the U.S. for ADHD describes what annoys teachers and parents about white boys with ADHD. Mental healthcare providers in the U.S. also get very little training on ADHD and there is a lack of research and still quite a bit of stigma. My mother in law was told many years ago by a specialist that my husband could not have ADHD because his teachers liked him (false). I still often get reactions like "but you did well in school!" even though many of my teachers would tell you I could have done better and they were letting me draw in class because it was the only way I could focus.
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Thanks Abbey for your very detailed reply. I was very interested because I normally hear about kids being diagnosed while at school, or adults that were diagnosed when they were young and it seemed to me that, unless you are maybe already visiting a therapist, it's kinda hard to get diagnosed.
will try out the questionnaire.
looking forward to your next posts
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Hey Davide,
For people in the U.S., I have a Twitter thread on finding a therapist. To get tested and prescribed medication, I went to a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD. I found the psychiatrist the same way I would find a therapist, and if you're already seeing a therapist, they can also help get you started with the diagnosis process.
The testing started with this questionnaire, then I talked to the psychiatrist, and then I took a test where I had to do a boring task for 20 minutes while being recorded. What still cracks me up is because I knew it was a test, I was trying really hard to sit still and thought I would get a score that wouldn't indicate I was hyperactive. I still scored in the 99th percentile for hyperactivity.
I agree "attention deficit" doesn't really fit, and experience the same thing - no trouble reading if I like the topic, and lots of trouble reading if I don't care. Ultimately, what empowered me to go through the diagnosis process was the ADHD memes and threads on Twitter. They gave me the language to use to describe the patterns of symptoms throughout my life, and when I laid it out like that, the psychiatrist said the 20 minute test was basically a formality. It wasn't just what I could focus on, it was also sensitivity to criticism and others' emotions, the inability to get myself up off the couch sometimes, that the adult tasks that required a little bit every day seemed impossible, and more.
A diagnosis changed a lot of things for me. I had been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder when I was really struggling with wedding planning (aka managing a lot of details, people, and events). When I started asking myself if I was anxious or if I needed to move around, most of my anxiety went away. The rest disappeared when I stopped expecting myself to be as productive as neurotypicals, gave myself the freedom to fidget, and started expecting myself to forget everything if I didn't write it down. The diagnosis also gave me tools - medication prescribed by the psychiatrist, resources I'll be listing in the rest of the series, and more. I've been able to unpack a lot of shame and focus on functioning rather than unrealistic expectations of myself.
It turns out many women are diagnosed late in life because the diagnostic criteria in the U.S. for ADHD describes what annoys teachers and parents about white boys with ADHD. Mental healthcare providers in the U.S. also get very little training on ADHD and there is a lack of research and still quite a bit of stigma. My mother in law was told many years ago by a specialist that my husband could not have ADHD because his teachers liked him (false). I still often get reactions like "but you did well in school!" even though many of my teachers would tell you I could have done better and they were letting me draw in class because it was the only way I could focus.
I hope this explanation helps!
Thanks Abbey for your very detailed reply. I was very interested because I normally hear about kids being diagnosed while at school, or adults that were diagnosed when they were young and it seemed to me that, unless you are maybe already visiting a therapist, it's kinda hard to get diagnosed.
will try out the questionnaire.
looking forward to your next posts