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.
I finally talked to my PCP about getting a diagnosis a few months ago, (I wasn’t even thinking about medication, just taking to someone who could help guide me through this. I’ve thought I was neurotypical for almost 40 years!) and I got the same “Well, you seem to be doing well enough, so do you REALLY want to take a pill for the rest of your life?” Hey, asshole, I already take 3 pills everyday for BP and gout, you didn’t hesitate to prescribe those. 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️