I’ve been experiencing an increase in severity of my psychological issues over the past few months that led me to make an appointment with a psychiatrist for a general mental health evaluation and potential ADHD testing after that depending on what they find. I’m anxious (one of my problems) about appearing so normal that I won’t get help, because I’ve become really good at faking being ok for decades now. I doubt anyone that knows me personally knows that anything is wrong. Does anyone have experience with this in terms of being diagnosed? I’m just worried I’m going to spend all this money and time and they’ll say I don’t need any help and I’m right back where I started.
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If the evaluation is legit then it should address masking (which is the term for what you refer to as “faking being ok”). If it’s something you’re worried about you can bring it up, since masking is a known phenomenon in the mental health field, particularly with people who have asd or ADHD, or similar conditions.
Thank you, I will bring it up at the beginning of the eval.
Yes I know what you mean. Psychology doesn’t have much in the way of formal acceptance of masking layers.
However, individual practitioners do. Just be as honest as possible, and provide meta information. Tell them what you told us.
Thank you, good advice.
I haven’t gone through such an intake myself, but have watched loved ones’ evaluations. One thing I suspect will happen is you’ll be given questionnaires asking about whether you do/think certain things “always,” “sometimes,” “rarely,” “never.” (Or similar language.)
You might also list what you have been experiencing, and why you think the issues have increased in severity. Use this as a prompt for yourself when you are being evaluated and asked, in essence, “what brings you here?”
Obviously, this is not a time to either overstate what’s going on, or to hold back on what you’re feeling is “off.” A good psychiatrist and mental health team will assuredly have the tools to get beyond the “normal” façade that makes it easier to function, but leaves you aware that it’s something of a sham.
Best wishes to you.
Use this as a prompt for yourself when you are being evaluated and asked, in essence, “what brings you here?”
This really helps me, thank you. That’s a fantastic way to mentally frame the questions so I can answer correctly.