“The tremendous good news is if you get the diagnosis and you get proper treatment, not only can you avoid all those disasters, you can achieve spectacular success.”
– Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, in A.D.D. & Loving it?! Trailer on totallyadd.com
Woo-hoo! I like the sound of that! I’ve also come across the message that, of all the mental health disorders, ADHD is the easiest to treat. If only. For me, it’s like being the guy who drowns, just before they decide to install life preservers at the beach because of the guy who drowned.
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Kate
9:18 am on
March 20th, 2010Actually, my experience has been that it’s also kind of hard to get treatment for adult ADHD in the States – there are enough doctors who say they treat it, but half of them don’t actually have a good idea of what ADHD looks like in adults. So finding a doctor is kind of a crapshoot until you get to the first appointment and figure out if they actually know what they’re talking about… and if you don’t find someone who actually knows what they’re talking about when it comes to adult ADHD, be prepared to be misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, or anything else other than ADHD.
Zoë Kessler, BA, B.Ed. (Adult Education)
2:11 pm on
March 20th, 2010*sigh* I’m sorry to hear this, Kate. I was wondering what my southern neighbours would say. I do wonder if it’s the case in your country, as it is in mine, that those closer to large urban centers have more access to resources. And I do think that support groups may be the way to go in smaller areas, at least until there are more resources available. Anyway, thanks for your input and especially for reminding everyone of how easy it is to be misdiagnosed. I always remind folks to look back into their childhood to see if their ADHD symptoms were present then, from an early age (around six), which is part of the diagnosis. Other conditions can begin at just about any point in life, but not ADD (unless you suffer a traumatic head injury, in which case, full-blown ADHD symptoms may suddenly appear). Sometimes just talking about all this makes my head hurt!
Neil
2:14 am on
March 21st, 2010I’d like to echo Kate’s comment and agree that the states are a treatment wasteland. Since I was diagnosed seven years ago, I’ve been to three seperate therapists; none of them knew squat about adult adhd. The last one, a psychologist who I told I wanted help with my adhd when I first contacted her, thought I get high when taking my stimulant medication. How can we expect the average person to understand if medical and mental health professionals are so clueless? BTW Love your posts. Thank you.
Zoë Kessler, BA, B.Ed. (Adult Education)
4:54 pm on
March 21st, 2010Neil, I’m sorry to hear this. But thank you for your comment, and I’m glad you’re enjoying my posts. It’s so great to get feedback (of any kind), ’cause you never know if any of it is touching base. While I’m disappointed to hear that some of my US readers are having difficulties finding appropriate help too, I sure hope someone out there is having a good experience. I’d love to hear from one of these people. You know what? You and Kate are helping to get me motivated to write my book even faster! Thanks!
Margaret
1:09 am on
March 24th, 2010I think it’s a reflection, sadly, of the mental health system itself. I’ve been receiving treatment for anxiety and depression off and on for over a decade; I finally got to see a psychiatrist last year. But I can’t access most of the counselling and pyschiatrist options because I’m too ‘high functioning,’ so I’m back to having my medications monitored by a general practitioner. And as a mental health practitioner I’ve worked with psychiatrists who will tell people with anorexia to “go home and eat some cake,” at which point I make a mental note to get my doctor to up the dosage on my antidepressant…!
Suzzy
8:58 am on
July 21st, 2010I have to agree with the disappointing reports of care, especially in the areas I’ve lived in in the Southern US. I was treated for years for depression and BiPD, medicated to the point that I couldn’t function and so erratic my roomates had me hospitalized because they were afraid I was going to OD and the Mental Health Center I was going to at the time just kept giving me more meds. It took 5 more doctors and about 10 years before ADHD was ever suggested. Granted, I did take a total break from meds and doctors out of sheer frustration for about 3 years, but then I started a new job and realized I needed help so I jumped back on the merry go round.
Adding to my alphabet, my daughter is also ADHD and my husband not only shares the condition, but is also diagnosed as bipolar depression and between the three of us, life can get rather interesting around our house. But we all do the best we can, and if one day the house spontaniously combusts I guess we can say at least its been an interesting ride.
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