What kind of doctor to see about a diagnosis - ADD / ADHD Message Board

zbrAnEk · 08-27-2008, 12:44 PM

I have reciently done some research to see if i could possibly have adhd, and my symptoms fit. what kind of doctor should i visit to get a proper diagnosis and to get started in the right path to helping my problem?

family doctor?
physc?

Also, maybe someone could talk to me about my issues that lead me to think i might be ADHD...

One major issue i have is when it comes to reading a page of text. If i do not try and concentrate really hard, i tend to read the first few words and after that i start lazily glancing over everyhting else.. or when i do read everything, i find my self reading the words and daydreaming at the same time so that i have to go back and read again.

another is my performance at work. I am a designer so i create drawings on autocad. well when i get going on a project i usually do pretty good at staying focused, but after a while i hit a lul and everyhting shuts down. i might be near completing my task, but cant seem to focus in on the small remaining details to finish. i start looking at the whole task and get an overwelmed feeling.

I have concentration issues while someone is talking to me directly. If i am on the phone and that person is talking to me, i can concentrate on what they are saying, but once another person walks up to me and says anything at all to me, i instantly try to conectrate on what the new person is saying and I lose track of what both people are saying. its very frustrating to have to get both people to seperatly repeat themselves. i completely forget the topic all together.

also if someone is asking me a question that isnt quick and short, I will almost come to the point of asking them to repeat the question, but i dont. I have heard every word they said but i have to repeat the question in my head over and over becuase i wasnt paying attention to the meaning of the words, rather i was just listening to the words.

when i was younger i used to get these anxiety attacks while trying to sleep(around 14-18 yrs old)(im now 23). It was a feeling that made me scared to go to bed in fear of having a night terror. Its a feeling of the walls getting further and further away and almost like i am floating above the bed. well i fell asleep once in this state and had a horrible night terror.

janewhite1 · 08-27-2008, 04:13 PM

That does sound a lot like ADHD.

The best type of doctor to see is a psychiatrist who treats ADHD often. Personal recommendation, or possibly recommendation from a family doctor, is the best way to find one.

zbrAnEk · 08-28-2008, 05:06 AM

I called a family practice physician yesterday and one of the nurses who answered said they handle many ADHD patience. I know that the best help is psychiatrist but the price tag is what is going to make the difference.

tUrRrRa · 08-29-2008, 04:17 PM

Hi there! Thank you for your reply on my post. I seem to be having a lot of similar issues as you are. I also feel like I'm out of it even if I'm not doing anything. I just kind of space out. The only way I can explain it is like if a cloud came over me and I lose my concentration and focus and can't really help it. I almost feel drunk at times when it gets really bad! Let me know how your doctor appointment goes. I'm kind of in between insurance right now and have a temporary one that would be VERY expensive to see a doctor, so I will have to wait at least a few months. I'd love to find any way to help this if it is ADHD, and if not, what else could be causing it. I've always been a bit of a perfectionist/anxious person too. I end up in tears some days because I get frustrated with my spacing out.

zbrAnEk · 09-09-2008, 10:56 AM

UPDATE:......

well i went to see a family doctor yesterday afternoon like i had scheduled. i described the symptoms that i have listed in this post. His treatment was for me to "drink more coffee while at work" and to "exersize more often". He said that ADD is only diagnosed at child age, not at adult age and since i have a degree in college that i must be able to control it enough that i do not need any kind of perscription treatment. then he started to compare how he did good in college, expecially after he got into "Chiropractic" school..........

at this point i rellized that i had made a mistake seeing a doctor at this clinic, i thought i was being scheduled with someone who could make an accurate diagnosis.

is this treatment acceptable? i drink coffee already, and i have been adviced to drink less caffine due to the ringing in my ears (as directed by an Ear Nose and Throat DR.)