Actually that's not true - there are a lot of people who remain undiagnosed as far as ADD goes, even when they've seen a psychiatrist for other conditions. It's also not uncommon for people to pass neuropsychological tests for ADD even when they have it - if I remember correctly, it is Hallowell and Ratey who discuss this phenomenon in Driven to Distraction: they point out that since ADD people often are capable of hyperfocus, they sometimes hyperfocus on the test and do well, even though they have a lot of attention difficulties in real life. Am I right in thinking that could have been what happened for you, katstrange? It would fit with the fact that you were "very determined to show this guy your stuff." Also I agree that the quiet office could have an effect. Katstrange, what you really need is a good intake evaluation by a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist - not neuropsychological testing, but just a thorough developmental history intake, with a doctor who really KNOWS a lot about AD/HD.

The same thing happened to me at first - when I told a counselor I thought I had AD/HD, she said didn't do an evaluation and just said that no, I was only distracted from my studies because my mother was dying and that was stressing me out. This fact was true, but it didn't account for the fact that I had been unfocused for pretty much my entire life, and my mom had only been diagnosed within the past 6 months. A few years later, I went to a psychiatrist and said I thought I had AD/HD. Again, the psychiatrist didn't do any evaluation at all - just asked if I had been a good student in school, and when I said yes, told me that meant there was no way I had AD/HD, and handed me an antidepressant prescription (even though she had not asked any questions to find out if I was suffering from depressive symptoms - just decided that since I had broken up with my boyfriend 3 weeks before, I MUST be depressed). Of course, besides the obvious fact that she did not ask any questions to obtain a proper diagnosis, it is simply not true that everyone with AD/HD was a bad student.

Needless to say, I never went back to that doctor - I wasn't taking any medication handed out by someone who does a first appointment in as little as 15 minutes and hands out antidepressant prescriptions without even asking any questions to find out if the patient is actually depressed! I found another doctor who was more knowledgeable and actually worked with a lot of AD/HD clients, and FINALLY had a thorough diagnostic interview. After she heard about my lifelong troubles with disorganization, forgetfulness, procrastination, always running late, etc., and saw my preschool and elementary school report cards, with all the teacher comments that I wasn't paying attention or that I wasn't working up to potential, she thought it was very clear that I had AD/HD. I have since had another psychiatrist and a therapist concur with that diagnosis.

So basically, my point is this - if, after reading a lot about AD/HD, you strongly suspect you have it, there's a good chance you're right - either that or your AD/HD-like symptoms can be explained by another condition that has some symptom overlap (such as anxiety or bipolar disorder, for instance). Regardless of whether your symptoms are caused by AD/HD or another condition, if they are impacting your life then they deserve serious consideration by a doctor. Find a doctor who really is an expert on AD/HD in adults (and sadly, there are a whole lot of psychiatrists who are NOT very knowledgeable about adult AD/HD), and make sure they give you a very thorough evaluation. If they seem knowledgeable and their diagnosis makes sense, then stick with them - if not, then find another doctor.