M dr. doesn't LISTEN to me!

I'm 47 years young and I truely believe I suffer from adult ADD. I have had these symptoms for years. I just finally became brave enough to confront my dr with my feelings. I just returned from my appt with him, and he dismissed my concerns like I wasn't worthy of his time. He spent a whole 4 minutes with me and told me I need to see a psychiatrist!! WHAT?? I'm not crazy, I just want someone to acknowledge me. Is that too much to ask?? My son also has this disorder, but is doing very well now. I want to improve my daily life, and he thinks I'm nuts! I've done research, taken quizzes, and talked with other adults briefly. Any suggestions out there anyone can give me would be appreciated. One thing I'm going to do is switch doctors, but how do I know I can trust someone else?

There is no such thing as "crazy". This term is subjective and to broad as to have any meaning. A psychiatrist is more specialized and ADHD is generally not the domain of General Practitioners, who won't usually have very much knowledge of ADHD or other neuro-cognitive/mental/behavioral disorders. It was appropriate for your GP to refer you to someone with the skills to diagnose ADHD, and a psychiatrist would have been his natural choice.

If your GP responded in the way you described, I would consider the GP as rude and never return to him again. Just so you know though, general practitioners are not normally equipped to deal with ADHD in any population, adults or children. I honestly don't think most psychiatrists are really that well trained in ADHD in adults either, so I always tell people to make an appointment with a PSYCHOLOGIST who has experience in diagnosing and treating adults with ADHD.

If the psychologist thinks you have ADHD and that you might benefit from a trial of medication, he/she can send the report to a doctor that you choose so that you may see if a trial of medication for the ADHD is helpful. Many people with ADHD also see a psychologist for therapy as well, as adults with ADHD tend to have a lot of problems that have developed as a result of having ADHD undiagnosed and/or untreated for many years.

Of course you can trust other people--we are not carbon copies of your GP. I wouldn't generalize based on one experience with one GP. Has this happened with other doctors you have seen in the past (about the ADHD question)?

You do sound as if you are lacking in self confidence. This too is quite common in adults with problems from undiagnosed/untreated ADHD, as ADHD cuts at your self esteem. Do not be afraid of taking the steps to make an appointment with a psychologist. It just might be the answer you are looking for. Many of us here have taken those first steps and are better off for doing so, the writer of these words included.

Who does your son see for ADHD?

Seeing a psychiatrist can be really scary, especially with all of the stigma attached. But, think about a psychiatrist in a different way: just like yo would see a cardiologist for problems with your heart, or an ophthalmologist for your eyes, so you would see a psychiatrist for your brain because that's the person who can best diagnose you. ADD is diagnosed through asking questions about patterns of behavoir, but it is --according to many many medical studies--an imbalance of chemicals in the brain, so you'd want to go to a brain doctor to be diagnosed. Not because you're crazy--you're not--but because you deserve the best experts to help you figure things out.

And, by the way, a lot of parents figure out that they have ADD after their kids are diagnosed and they recognize the symptoms. Good luck!