I just had my first ever meeting with a psychiatrist to get diagnosed with ADHD.
Long story short, they said that I clearly exhibit ADHD symptoms.
But they’re not willing to go forward with a diagnosis because, according to them, I seem to be doing alright in my life, so the symptoms are hardly causing me enough problems to be eligible for a diagnosis. (And also because there’s no evidence of me having had such symptoms in childhood.)
And I was just sitting there thinking, do you really think I would be here if I didn’t think the symptoms were causing me problems in life?
Based on what they said, they expected me to have experienced things like getting warnings or being fired from jobs, ruining my relationships with people, and such. And they suggested the usual things, exercise, the Pomodoro method, etc. As if I haven’t tried them already.
My bad for masking so well, I guess.
Anyway, just wanted to vent a bit. I know it’s too common a story. I guess the next thing I need to do is to find a psychiatrist specializing in adult ADHD. Once my (still undiagnosed) ADHD lets me do that.
A few years back when I first started thinking I had AuDHD I spent a small fortune on a psychologist, only to be blown off … because she was more focused on the chance I might have early-onset dementia (because my working memory is awful). Seems my decades of masking worked too well and she made up her mind without looking further.
Finally about 6 months ago I was diagnosed. ADHD meds would help for a few days, then side effects would negate the help. I finally just stopped taking them.