[geocrasher]

A new coworker, who was recently diagnosed, said to me "you have a lot of the traits that I have that led me to getting diagnosed." So I talked to my doctor, filled out a short questionnaire, and it was official. Before seeing the doctor, I mentioned it to my adult daughter and her response was "Well DUH." Seems like everyone knew but me lol.

[SyzygistSix]

Damn. I spent $3000+ dollars and went through 7 hours of testing.

I hope getting treatment was that easy for you as well.

[jdavis703]

Are you in the US? I spent something like $200 on the initial appointment in the SF Bay Area. This was done without insurance, so that was the total cost. And I think I spent slightly less than 2 hours undergoing evaluation.

[SyzygistSix]

Yes, in the US. It was a very thorough evaluation. My niece's recent evaluation was similar to yours. My testing was conducted by a psychological services group that was recommended by my primary care providers, which is a service for generally poor people, like myself. Kind of weird but I don' know the process. Nevertheless, I hope the very thorough and documented diagnosis is worth it, as it makes clear the need for treatment and a prescription, and also distinguishes between types of ADHD. I have heard getting a prescription can be difficult. When you are poor, healthcare providers often suspect substance abuse. I have no healthcare insurance either.

[jdavis703]

Your doctor charged you $3k and diagnosed you with a mental illness but is unwilling to prescribe medicine? That feels like theft to me.

Can you at least see if they can start you on a non-stimulant pharmaceutical? Some people really like Strattera (I tried it and had horrible side effects that landed me in the ER, but I know other people who love it). Unfortunately I think Strattera is still patented, so it’s pretty pricey if you don’t have insurance. Make sure to look for coupons that will save you about 90% of MSRP.

[SyzygistSix]

I think they will, but they may be too expensive for me to continue with. I only had the verbal report in a video meeting with them. In about a month I will get the written report, along with my regular doctor and my counselor.

They are not the only org that uses a process like this. Many have a longer, more thorough, more expensive process. I don't have a map of these services to navigate, so I'm a bit blind. I went with who was recommended to me. Hopefully having a thorough diagnosis that can travel with me wherever I go can be helpful. If this ends up helping me to address this and have some sort of success in life, $3k will be peanuts.