5d ago

A pipeline

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I've yet to get the official diagnosis. But im on track.
- Don’t give up, it took me eight years from my suspicions to actually getting a diagnosis. The hardest part was finding psychiatrists, making appointments, going to the first appointment, and then going to the following appointments.
  
  Apart from stimulant prescriptions, what is the benefit of getting diagnosed with ADHD?
  
  I posted elsewhere about this, but ADHD can mess with your emotions. I thought for a while that I was bipolar because of how quickly my moods could change and how strongly I felt things like anxiety or disappointment or frustration. Now that I know what it is, in the moment I'm able to pull myself out of depressive spirals caused by hyperfixation etc. I'm also able to better work with the peaks and troughs of my productivity. Plenty of other helpful reasons too!
  
  Whoa whoa whoa
  I'm diagnosed bipolar and I'm just starting to work on potential adhd/AuDHD issues
  My Dr appointment with the psychiatrist basically went nowhere. He said that he very rarely diagnoses ADHD in adults because it gets found when you're a kid so i probably don't have it since im an adult.
  A real fuckin doctor said this to me.
  Idk where to go from here...
  
  Find a new one. Find one that specializes in ADHD. You can absolutely be diagnosed as an adult, however the symptoms must have been present before the age of 12 or something, technically.
  I had a doctor ask me if I had found jesus when first trying to get help w my issues. For real. It can take some time to find the right fit, but hopefully you can seek out an ADHD/neurodivergent focused therapist for better results
  e: i was diagnosed by a psychologist/therapist. I have heard from several folks anecdotally that their psychiatrists are more detached and are mostly just there for prescriptions. YMMV
  
  Your edit seems about right lol
  I'll definitely be looking. I'm on a wait-list for therapy for now, but I'll try to find someone who works with ADHD specifically. I didn't know that existed. Hopefully my city is big enough.
  I also had a therapist tell me that Jesus could help me once. I didn't see her again. Lmao
  
  ADHD-tailored therapy.
  Meds alone are not going to solve the problems that ADHD causes, especially when it is untreated throughout one's life. There's the additional primary impacts like emotional disregulation and alexithymia (and many others), as well as the secondary impacts of emotional traumas from struggling and failing to do things that are simple for neurotypical people and being given no quarter societally for those challenges that are rooted in the physical neurophysiological differences in the prefrontal cortex of ADHD brains.
  In addition, stimulant meds are not the only meds for ADHD and not effective for all people with ADHD. They are the first line treatment because they have far greater statistical efficacy than other meds in most cases. Their main useful mechanism of action though, is not really their "stimulant" properties but their action as dopamine/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
  
  The advantage is you’re no longer doubting yourself. Self diagnosis is not sufficient.
  That makes it easier to select therapy that specifically suits ADHD. For me, It also lead to me actually using self help practices and trying to read books on it. A diagnosis gave me a framework to base my path to improvement on.
  A diagnosis also demonstrates to others, that you’re not just lazy.
  
  It opens up options that your future self may want/need. There are many potential barriers to treatment, you really don't want to deal with these when you actually need to rely on those services.
  
  Im at the "psychiatrist referred me to psychologist for testing" stage. As of like, a few days ago. Otherwise identical, 7+ years of wanting testing (and having insurance and money to do it), before even making an attempt at getting treatment.
  Psychiatrist seemed confident meds would seriously help tho! Although i guess they are kinda paid to say that i guess?
  
  They are not at all paid to say that. That said, the meds were a game changer for me.
  
  Oh. Now i feel like i made an impression and will dwell on that for the next several minutes.
  
  You did. But I won't remember your username or comment in about 4 minutes
  
  Medication helps most people with ADHD the fastest. It’s just a scientific fact.
  No medication can be the goal, the meds seriously help on that path though.

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