[ZilchHour]

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!

He's going to have to have a full evaluation. Full physical and a bit mental maybe not fully.

He must be at least 50. By that time, there could be some memory problems. Not likely but possible. If he does have ADHD, these problems should be happening for all of his life.

You don't have to have ADHD to get medicated. If you have ADHD, you know you have it. But most people fit the symptoms of ADHD so I think it is important to have a full evaluation but people can't be too serious about the proper diagnosis. It has to make an impact on your life somewhat to consider taking something that has many side effects for most people such as anxiety, blood pressure problems and especially since he's older, there could be heart problems.

Speaking of anxiety, being an accountant is a very stressful job and the side effects of anxiety do mimic ADHD symptoms.

Personally, I don't think someone with acute ADD/ADHD should be medicated. Just my opinion. Using techniques to help. Of course I'm still a mess, even on meds that work. If someone thinks that they have ADHD, I ALWAYS say they might have it and to get an evaluation.

If he drinks lots of coffee, tell him to cut down. For me, it makes my mind even more foggy because it releases adrenaline in the body and doesn't really do anything for dopamine and other neurotransmitter so I don't drink it anymore.

I don't know where you live. But if you live in England, even severe cases don't even get prescribed meds sometimes because there is a strong stigma towards amphetamines. I used to live in Ireland. I didn't get any treatment when I was a kid because they didn't really believe that ADHD exists. They just thought I wasn't trying, liked to talk too much and get in trouble etc..

[justbeingme80]

Depends on the doctor. Some require a full eval which includes a really long test, or a computer test that measures attention and impulsivity, IQ test, and a few others such as a rating scale from friends/family. Other doctors just rely on an interview or some combination of rating scales given to friends/family.