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I'm in an extremely similar situation to you. Here's my advice: if you're looking to get put on a medication (don't feel bad about feeling like you need it), start getting help now. I'm saying this because getting treatment for ADD is a LONG process. Once you're locked into the medical system, you're good, but it can be a hell of a time getting there. 1) If you're away from home and don't have a primary care doctor, get one. Like, right now. Depending on where you live, wait times for accepting new patients can vary between 1-3 months. They'll typically set up an introductory physical. Once you're there, explain to them that you think you have ADHD and want to discuss treatment options. From there, the meeting can go one of two ways. The way you want it to go is for the doc/NP to start you on a trial medication. On the other hand (and this happened to me), you may find that your primary care physician is either 1) entirely against ADHD medications and/or 2) won't prescribe them, instead requiring you to go to a psychiatrist. If this is the case, then you must start the 1-3 month waiting period all over again trying to get in with a psychiatrist. A shortcut here might just be to go directly to the psychiatrist, but depending on your insurance, that may not be possible. Tips: Don't bother getting help through your university. They get too many kids coming through there looking for easy Adderall and Vicodin, to the point where they treat everyone like drug addicts. Getting that kind of treatment from others can be really off-putting and make you feel bad about having ADHD. That's the last thing you need. If you can't get meds through your primary care, make sure you see a psychiatrist, not a psychologist. If you call a mental health center that has a mix of psychiatrists, psychologists, and counsellors, make sure you know you're getting set up with a psychiatrist. You can still get diagnosed with ADHD by a psychologist, but they don't prescribe medication, so you'll have to wait another 1-3 months to meet with someone who can after you get diagnosed. |