[MuddyBoots]

How do you suggest to a supposed expert that you think your dx is incorrect or incomplete? Or is it better just to bring up symptoms and hope they can piece together if that’s normal for your current dx or not?

At this point I’m just rambling it its kinda relevant but after this point nothing is important.
My T brought it up last year that I might (probably?) have ADHD, and a few friends and family members think I have it too. If I have it, I obviously want to be treated because its making life hard, but I’m afraid that pnurse will just chalk it up to cognitive symptoms of schizoaffective (my only current official dx) and say I have to live with it. The diagnosis process is a little weird here too. Instead of talking to a professional and over time they dx you when they’re certain, you have an hour long appointment with someone specialized in diagnosis and then they assign you a therapist/psych/case manager/functional support/ etc. I dont even know if the pnurse I have can make changes to that diagnosis without consulting the dx specialist, and during my intake evaluation they pretty much said “we see in your history schizophrenia and bipolar so schizoaffective it is” (though that was just their doctors before I quit treatment for a year, IP docs have dxd me with other stuff depending on what I was presenting at the time).

Like at an IOP I went to as a teen they said diagnosis wasn’t important, but I feel it is because what if its wrong and I’m getting the wrong or inadequate treatment? My mom keeps saying there’s something they’re missing. It’s kinda fishy that they say I have a mood disorder but Ive tried every mood stabilizer out there and none of them did **** and some of them made me much much worse. I’m also sober for the first time in years and I dont know how to say “this diagnosis might be inaccurate because I lied and have been in active addiction for like 6 years now and lied about the severity” like I know how to word it but its like talking about your sex life with grandma, something you just cant get out of your mouth 75% of the time.

[Soupe du jour]

I see nothing wrong with asking to be evaluated for ADHD. A thorough evaluation should hopefully help determine if you may have such a co-existing condition. I also think telling them that you lied a bit during active addiction, is perfectly fine.

I don't know how difficult it is for a psychiatrist to differentiate between what may be schizoaffective or ADHD. I can say that in me, some similar symptoms of mania and ADHD occur only when I'm manic. Not when I'm not. My husband has ADD (inattentive type) and those symptoms are a constant issue for him, and have been most all of his life.

I know how important it was for me to stop abusing alcohol in order to really get a sense for my illness...and ultimately achieve stability. I regret some of those past alcohol abuse years, but have to own them. They are part of my past experience. Some of the negative things that happened were, as well. I would find no sense in lying about them to a psychiatrist. In fact, being 100% honest is ultimately useful.

[Yaowen]

Dear Sapien,

I don't know enough about the things you mentioned to be able to have an educated opinion. Sometimes it is helpful to get additional medical opinions when one is in doubt about medical issues. I do not know, however, if that is appropriate here since I am not in your shoes. Hopefully this issue will ultimately get resolved to your satisfaction. It cannot be easy for you to be suffering these important questions. Sorry if this is not helpful to you. Sometimes one wants to be helpful but doesn't know how.

Sincerely yours, Yao Wen

[Victoria'smom]

SzA has cognitive issues. There's a lot of times I have adhd symptoms and my pdoc ups my AP and that helps for a short time. Right now I'm in slow motion but my head's all over the place. The thing I've learned is to write symptoms down and just hand it to them. Their face says "oh no" but they help. Only one time I was sent IP because of it. I have a 7 page bullet point history That I bring to new psych appointments. Honestly I'm not a productive member of society but I'm slowly okay with that.

[*Beth*]

If you have an STD and grandma is your prescribing physician, you'd better give her the full and true story.

Write it down before you talk to the designated person and read what you've written as if you're telling the person about someone else.

There just can't be a clear diagnosis while you're substance using.