Author: Cynthia Hammer, MSW, Director of ADD Resources

In an earlier article I wrote about medication, but now I realize I should start at the beginning--with diagnosis.

There are a few key things to know. One, it is of utmost importance to see a clinician familiar with ADHD. This is particularly true for adults--find someone familiar with adult ADHD! There can be nothing more discouraging than to think you have finally found an answer, only to be told, by a poorly informed physician, that "You can't have ADHD. You finished high school," or some such malarky. A comment like that can set someone back years in his search for help.

We recommend that you find a psychiatrist to make the ADHD diagnosis. A psychiatrist can both make the diagnosis and prescribe medications. Psychologists can make the diagnosis but not prescribe medicines, so where does that leave you?

They say diagnosis is a complex, thorough process--getting a good history, collaborative reports from others who know you well, etc. But for me, it was much more simple. I had been accompanying my son, diagnosed with ADHD, to his monthly appointments with the pediatrician In the process I was learning about ADHD. One day I put it together--I functioned a lot like my son. (duh!)

I said to the pediatrician, I think I have ADHD. He replied, "You do!" Sometimes it is pretty obvious.

Dr. Thomas Phelan believes that most adults, who think they have ADHD, do. I know after I got diagnosed I went around "diagnosing" the disorder in others. Sometimes it seems pretty easy to pick out. And I guess I didn't want to be alone with the disorder. However, there also seems to be a contingent of, mostly, guys who don't see the ADHD in themselves, but others see it pouring out of their ears. How do we get them to "see the light?" A complex issue that we will cover in a future newsletter article.

Any way, a friend, Susan,recently told me she had been seeing a therapist for over a year. When she figured out her problems might be related to ADHD, Susan told her suspicions to her therapist. The therapist responded, "I have thought so for a long time." Susan, understandably, was furious. "Why didn't you tell me a long time ago?" The therapist responded, "I told someone once and it didn't go over well."

That is not fair--that is not ethical. If a doctor suspects a cancer, they don't avoid telling the patient because the patient might not want to hear it. The reluctance by a therapist to share his suspicions of an ADHD diagnosis means the therapist does not realize how life-threatening the diagnosis of ADHD is.

Not life-threatening like death, but life-threatening in losing one's life--all one is capable and desirous of accomplishing.

I hope you are benefiting from your ADHD diagnosis and that you are working to have the life you were meant to.

~~Cynthia Hammer, MSW, Director

ADD Resources

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