Dear all,

I need help for a family member who is male, 30 years old and is employed (working for a few years now) as an accountant. Apparently, his life is fine but he feels (and I agree) there are things which are holding him back from realising his potential. He is not only family to me but also a very good friend and I pointed it out to him that the situation may have to do with ADD/ADHD.

He is a very caring person, he has been good to his family and responsible at workplace. But he struggles in certain aspects of life which he cannot understand or explain. For instance, he was supposed to finish his professional qualification (CPA) and is required to complete some certifications but despite his intelligence and experience, he is unable to pull it off. Also he gets stuck in his job, messes with deadlines and starts projects but never sees them through.

I suspected and told him that he could have ADD/ADHD. He has taken some online question based tests for ADD/ADHD and results have shown that there is likelihood that he may have a moderate case of ADD/ADHD. I have convinced him to see a psychiatrist and undergo a proper examination for diagnosis. Because these sessions could be expensive and his research over the internet shows that he may have to take some tests before it could be confirmed if he has this condition, so he wishes to know how exactly the diagnosis can be made. He wants to make an informed decision so that he knows what kind of tests he should be expecting and then he can budget how much it would cost him.

Please tell me the tests (which have credible results) which he may ask his psychiatrist to perform. Also he would like to have a general idea of number of sessions with psychiatrist, types of tests to be taken and time for all this process. Also, let's presume, he is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, does he have to see a psychiatrist on a regular basis holding counselling sessions or the trearment would be based on medication only and only follow up visits would be necessary...

If you need more information or clarification, I would be happy to add the details over here.

Thank you from both of us!