I was diagnosed with ADD 16 years ago when my 4 children were diagnosed by their psychiatrist. Because they were on Medicaid and I was not officially under the doctor's care, they received documentation and treatment, but I did not. I have always been able to manage my symptoms on my own until now. Circumstances at my current employer had made me seek out official documentation as well as accommodations. My employer said they wanted a specific list of accommodations from a doctor. But none of the providers that I have seen want to give me an accommodations list.

The licensed therapist in my employer's EAP program diagnosed me with ADHD, PTSD, and GAD, but refused to write any accommodations because mental illness is not a disability, and if I were to ask my employer for accommodations, I'm saying that I can't do my job. She also said that my condition was not "pervasive," but her specialty is anxiety. She also said that her diagnosis of ADHD was based only on my self report, as if I was lying and just knew the right answers to say.

Because of her patronizing tone, I decided that I wanted to undergo psychiatric testing so that I could identify my specific deficiencies. I saw a psychiatrist today. I gave her the letter from the therapist as well as showed her the results of the ADHD test from this site (47). She discounted the results because they were from an online quiz, and even when I filled out her paper self report form, she looked at it and then tossed it aside saying, "I don't trust that." She told me to bring her a letter from my employer that said I was having trouble concentrating. She said all she sees is anxiety and depression, but gave me a number to call for neurological testing.

I am so frustrated!! I have been dealing with this for all of my life and when my children were diagnosed it was like a light bulb came on. I advocated for my children as they were called lazy and fell through the cracks in the educational system. Now no one believes me when I need help! What the heck??? I'm already having panic attacks, nightmares, and such and this is doing nothing to help me! What is the use in having a self report if the so called professionals aren't going to believe the results?