• OceanSoap@lemmy.ml
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    23 hours ago

    I’m so tired of this dumb trope. No, your self-diagnosis is not helpful. And yes, you can get diagnosed if you’re poor. There are many ways to do so, you dont have to go through a fancy psychiatrist, and the US public Healthcare system will actually pay for it.

  • Muscar@discuss.online
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    23 hours ago

    Man, even knowing how fucked 'murica is it still keeps surprising you with more fucked stuff. It just never crossed my mind that getting a diagnosis could cost money for someone.

  • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    23 hours ago

    it’s even funnier when you might have any given variety of mental disorders.

    Could be ADHD, could be autism, hell might be both or neither! Could be SzPD, could be a variant of that, could be any other generic personality disorder. Hell maybe i’m just shitposting and i’m perfectly normal!

    So now that balloons to the period of about 5 years, 20 tests, and many thousands of dollars, both spent and lost.

    OH and how could i forget. It does precisely, almost nothing. Because disability is super fucked. And any other services that do exist are probably also a nightmare, so what’s even the fucking point of having them!

    • huzzahunimpressively@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      Also I think that you need psychiatric support if you really have ADHD, people think that have a untreated ADHD it’s like having a super power.

      • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        19 hours ago

        i feel like it’s situational. I’ve talked to a lot of people that do have ADHD, and are quite fond of their medication as it makes them extremely functional, but part of me is irked by the fact that it might be a secondary effect due to association. (i suspect they want to be a part of society, and as a result the medication making them capable of doing it quickly becomes a part of themselves) If this is the case, there is an argument to be made for the fact that our society simply isn’t built to deal with the people it contains.

        Part of me wonders whether ADHD was an evolutionary adaptation due to the presumed utility of it in ancient society.

        I may have ADHD, and if so, i find it to be an extreme hindrance to doing normal people things, like at all. However, outside of that im perfectly fine and i would argue probably benefited by it, because it often keeps my brain busy thinking about things and doing stuff, which is good for your mental health (physically) there’s a reason a lot of my time in my life has been spent covering various different interests and hobbies, and i think this, whatever it is, is part of it. Doing one thing is just really boring, and i can’t be bothered. And if proper treatment (medication in this case) removes that, i would rather not be medicated to be honest.

  • Queen HawlSera@lemm.ee
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    23 hours ago

    Yeah, but if you’re disabled and broke you get free healthcare in America…

    Source: That’s why I’m not dead.

  • El_guapazo@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Public schools do free screenings in other to qualify for special education or 504 school accommodations. This may only cover students in the district home area and not private school students or adults.

    The down side is that some school districts have quotas on how much of the school population can be considered SpEd or 504. But a pediatric psychiatrist can make that determination regardless of the school diagnostician findings to justify accommodations.

      • El_guapazo@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Yeah. They figure that SpEd students comprise about a certain percentage of the general population and set their quota based on that.

        It’s the same reason that certain racial groups won’t get sent to discipline centers otherwise it seems that there’s too many POC in the alternative school.

    • whoisearth@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Self-diagnosis doesn’t help with relationships IMHO either and I mean that both from a personal and professional perspective.

      Why you might ask?

      YMMV but for me, I am an open book. Having the diagnosis meant I could talk to bosses when trying a new med, or explain to them when struggling. Knowing the diagnosis means you immediately diffuse an aspect of a challenge. For me, that has been immensely valuable.

      Edit - wanted to add a common counterpoint is don’t let work know because you can’t predict people who will use your honesty against you. I will argue assholes are assholes and you can’t live your life at the possibility someone will be a dick. Most people are good people. Trust on that.

      • OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml
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        1 day ago

        Unofficial/self diagnosis helped me in my personal relationships.

        I mentioned to my partner that a doctor friend thought I had ADHD, and it really helped them not take some of my most annoying traits personally.

        I get where you’re coming from with needing an official diagnosis for work accommodations, but none of your friends are really going to demand to see a doctor’s note, so why would personal relationships depend on an official diagnosis?

        • whoisearth@lemmy.ca
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          1 day ago

          I get where you’re coming from with needing an official diagnosis for work accommodations, but none of your friends are really going to demand to see a doctor’s note, so why would personal relationships depend on an official diagnosis?

          The same reasons as from a professional experience. Yes they aren’t going to pull the doctor’s note but neither is work IMHO. What it does is provide more weight behind your words of “hey I’m not just googling this shit. I’m not just an insufferable asshole looking to validate that I am. I’m actually working with a psychologist.”

          Friends, just like coworkers, etc. care less of the diagnosis. They want to know you’re working on you because I’d argue writ large people want to see you succeed. A self-diagnosis can help but it doesn’t give you access to all the tools you may need to succeed so from the outside I would argue that official diagnosis matters. It means you now have someone else on your “team” be it a GP or a psychologist or whatever helping you navigate things.

  • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk
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    2 days ago

    Is it me that finds it weird signing off her own tweets with her name, when her username is literally right there?

    It’s just a shame the (presumably US-based) healthcare system is a clusterfuck, because that bit of expensive paper with a diagnosis on it would likely open up a whole host of avenues for exploration of the condition.

    • DessertStorms@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      2 days ago

      It’s just a shame the (presumably US-based) healthcare system is a clusterfuck,

      Laughs in disembowelled NHS…

      When the government controlling the public health service doesn’t give a shit about the actual public, especially those who it sees as “burdens”, you get more or less the same shit as if it didn’t exist at all.

      I was on a waiting list for 2 years to get an autism diagnosis, and the only way around this is to go private and pay an absolute fortune (this is of course by design - deprive the NHS of its specialists in favour of for profit private clinics).

      Want therapy? Wait at least 8 months. Honest about being suicidal? No need to wait that long, here are some cops to come and take you away…

      My point is the op is correct no matter where you are in the world, and people who insist that self diagnosis isn’t valid seriously need to check their privilege.

      • StoneyDcrew@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I partly agree with you, but not completely. There are benefits to claiming you are ADHD, like in the UK being covered as a disability, thus employers are required to make reasonable adjustments for work comfort e.g. Noise cancelling headphones.

        People without ADHD that claim to be can shew the expectations of what ADHD people go through in the wrong direction.

        That said: I ended up waiting like 3 years for my diagnosis (and I had to chase those bastards every single time for a response), so if my employer didn’t trust me and wasn’t understanding of my struggles I would have been sacked by now.

        That said; needing to pay £1,000s to get essential mental health care is outrageous. I’d take a reasonable self-assessment any day over expecting people to pay that.

        But I wish people would stop voting for the government party that trying to convince them that immigrants are stealing jobs and they should underfund health care to keep the economy safe.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          That said: I ended up waiting like 3 years for my diagnosis (and I had to chase those bastards every single time for a response),

          That sounds this close ->||<- to being some Catch 22 nonsense where they use your success in managing to follow up as an excuse to claim you’re not ADHD.

          • PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk
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            2 days ago

            I hate that about disability assessments run by those Capita bastards. The whole “well you got here okay so you can’t struggle with mobility”.

            No you fucking arsewomble, it’s just threatening the means to purchase the basics and essentials is worth the physical agony it causes going to your human zoo and jumping through your arbitrary hoops, you daft walking talking fannyflap.

            I hate making it personal but I can’t see how anyone would voluntarily stick at a job like that.

        • DessertStorms@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 days ago

          People without ADHD that claim to be can shew the expectations of what ADHD people go through in the wrong direction.

          This is a fiction used to deprive all of us of services and accommodation (by making it ever harder to pass the gatekeeping).

          Neurodiverse people are generally treated like crap in the work place and generally in society, the idea that people are making it up to gain some imaginary perks truly is ridiculous to anyone who has ever tried getting any support. You having a decent boss is one of those privileges I mentioned that you should check, because as you go on to say, if that wasn’t the case, and it isn’t for many, you’d be sacked, as many are, if they ever get employed in the first place.

          As for voting, you basically describing both parties at this point, and that’s because the whole system is a sham, as is the idea that voting actually gives us any say or control. It’s only by looking outside of the bucket they have us in that we will find the way to freedom.

      • breadsmasher@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I lucked out - was on the wait list just before covid, and seemingly covid stopped the tests and worked through the waitlist instead.

        I was diagnosed and prescribed after waiting 1.5 years. Now it seems people are expected to wait over double that.

        No wonder there has been a boom in private healthcare diagnosis

        • DessertStorms@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 days ago

          My 2 year wait was over a decade ago, so looong before covid. The fact that things are worse now isn’t really surprising considering the service is now basically a hollowed out carcass with several hundred private firms picking it apart…

    • boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net
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      2 days ago

      In germany its free but you just dont get a place anywhere. Diagnosis maybe after a year, therapy never.

      And you get a blood test to see you dont use Cannabis etc, because 1+1=2

      Both have “a risk for phsychosis or shizophrenia”, so combining will obviously lead to crazy dangers. Thats the state of science they are at.

    • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      I don’t use Twitter, but if people read tweets the way I do, I never even look at the username unless I’m trying to figure out if it’s the same person replying to another.

  • noredcandy@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    On one hand, sure just a meme. On the other, it may not be ADHD that’s causing these symptoms and getting a professional diagnosis will help with treatment regardless of what’s going on.

    • Prandom_returns@lemm.ee
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      Unless it’s actually detected with some sort of brain scanner, it’s all questions / answers.

      For example, I don’t want to get an official diagnosis, because I don’t want it in my medical records, becaus it might impede things, such as getting a driving licence.

      Many doctors where I’m from, tried trearing ADHD with antidepressants. Which is like the exact opposite of what’s needed.

      Yes, I’m from a weird place.

    • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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      a lot of stuff about childhood experiences. it’s helpful to have someone present who knew you as a child, but failing that, you can talk to them beforehand I suppose. I imagine this sounds like a headache, so don’t worry about calling mom if it sounds stressful or confrontational. id say the ideal is a teacher who knew you well but doesn’t have stakes in the diagnostic label like a parent might. maybe a sibling.

      • Eyck_of_denesle@lemmy.zip
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        1 day ago

        Hi my parents took me to a psychiatric but did not say anything about adhd. I did not know what the process was, so I didn’t ask them for that diagnosis. They did give me anti depressants but I stopped going after 3 sessions cause i didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. Do you think i should go back and ask for a diagnosis? I also want to add that i live in a country where mental illness is still not real. So im not surprised the doctor was not communicating with me openly

        • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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          24 hours ago

          that sounds hard. i cant give you medical advice - you know yourself better than me anyway. one thing i can comment on is that changes usually take a combination of medication and behavioral changes (aka therapy). so it’s not surprising that things didn’t improve after 3 sessions. it takes a lot of effort!

  • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
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    I understand why people might not want to do it, but personally getting diagnosed and starting treatment has been life changing.

    Yeah you don’t need a doctor to tell you your arm is broken, but raw dogging a broken arm is hardly ideal.

    • norimee@lemmy.world
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      This post is literally about how hard it is to get a formal diagnosis. Nobody said they don’t want to do it.

      I’m trying for years now and can’t get anyone to test me. Treatment is only covered after I have an official diagnosis. And this is in a country with socialised healthcare.

      Not everyone is as fortunate as you and can get a proper diagnosis and treatment.
      Yeah I don’t need a doctor to tell me my arm is broken, but at least I can get a doctors appointment for that.

      • ameancow@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        This post is literally about how hard it is to get a formal diagnosis. Nobody said they don’t want to do it.

        This post is about a doctor who makes money from her personal brand, website, books and speaking tours, telling people that getting a formal diagnosis is so hard that why should you bother. And now that you’re emotionally validated, why not visit her blog, store or youtube channel and subscribe?

        I genuinely don’t know if her material is good or not, I tend to lean towards it being pabulum and watered-down schlock like literally any speaking-tour psychologist without even reading it. But lets not make any mistake about what’s being peddled here and why.

        I don’t really appreciate discouraging people from getting professional care and diagnosis just because you have convinced yourself that your impersonal motivational messages are as good as personalized and in-depth care that a professional can offer.

      • Caesium@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        yeah, the last time I tried to get a diagnosis it was a 6 month wait just to meet the doctor for it. And I had to make a phone call too which I avoid at all costs even if it’s detrimental because the anxiety gets to me so bad haha

      • Patapon Enjoyer@lemmy.world
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        I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. But I wanted to share that in my personal experience it has absolutely been worth the effort

  • Fosheze@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Nah, I can’t even do that because every place in my area will straight up say that they will never diagnose an adult with adhd.

    • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Then use one of the many telemedicine doctors that actually align with modern science. How weird of them.

  • Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml
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    2 days ago

    Are people having that many hurdles for official diagnosis? Genuinely asking. Mine was with my primary care doc, $100 out of pocket for the visit, and whatever the meds cost. There was one questionnaire and total took about 30min from start of visit to prescription. That said, first meds aren’t helping at all so I’ll need to go back and see what other options there are, if any.

    • acetanilide@lemmy.world
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      24 hours ago

      Yes, I did.

      • No one noticed for years (I am a girl and girls often have different symptoms than boys)
      • I asked my psychiatrist for help with work accommodations due to concentration issues and they wanted me to go to a neuropsychologist (thousands of dollars with insurance)
      • Switched to a different provider who immediately diagnosed me after a single page questionnaire. Got meds. No drug test required.
      • Ended up switching to another provider for reasons - they wanted me to get tested again because they didn’t like the prior test ($$$).
      • Got the diagnosis but still couldn’t refill the original meds I was on because of other health issues. Went untreated for about a year before receiving clearance from a specialist. Drug tests required monthly ($$$).
      • Had to switch providers yet again for reasons - they almost made me get tested again but I somehow convinced them not to. Got meds. Drug tests every few months ($$$).
      • Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml
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        21 hours ago

        Thank you for sharing. This has been incredibly eye opening for me. I’m sorry that it’s been so rough for you.

        • acetanilide@lemmy.world
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          18 hours ago

          You’re welcome. I’m glad I could provide some new information. It does suck but at least I am medicated now :)

    • yuri@pawb.social
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      2 days ago

      Folks, really seriously genuinely, talk to your regular ass doctor about a diagnosis if you’re looking to get assessed. Mine just gave me the assessment for no charge because I was already there for something else.

      He even said if I wasn’t happy with the results he would write me a referral to whoever and just send it to my insurance like a specialist referral, so they’d at least HELP even if it’s out of network.

      • kerf@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        After waiting several weeks for my appointment my “regular ass doctor” told me I couldn’t have adhd because I could look him in the eyes and hold a conversation. So, thanks, I’m cured?

        • yuri@pawb.social
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          2 days ago

          I mean, it’s no panacea, but still worth checking before jumping straight to a potentially pricey specialist. Unfortunately some doctors are still dipshits.

          I’m sorry you got invalidated by a medical professional, it’s dishearteningly an all too common experience for neurodivergent folk. I hope it didn’t turn you off the idea of treatment too bad. There are good doctors out there, who care and will listen and won’t just talk down to you.

          • kerf@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            After about two or three years since that first I’ve now made my third attempt to get help (Second one said 'you can’t have adhd because you’ve finished university and have a job).

            I’ve gotten one step further, but if I am accepted to do a real evaluation it will be more than a years wait time. Public mental healthcare in Sweden is a joke. The wait time alone makes me want to just do it in private care but I can’t justify the expense in my current life situation

    • Monument@lemmy.sdf.org
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      2 days ago

      Possibly state-by-state, practice specific, or insurance company policies.

      My doctor told me that in my state a psychiatrist has to test and diagnose. The testing was covered by my insurance (if you have a referral), but the wait list is a problem.

      • Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        Wow. I had no idea that was a thing. I’m glad I asked then. Opens my mind to how hard it can be for other folks. That’s really awful.

        • Monument@lemmy.sdf.org
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          It took me over a year to get a diagnosis from my initial inquiry with my doctor. She gave me a referral (otherwise it would not be covered by insurance), and a list of practices that did ADHD testing (not every psychiatrist does it), and I stumbled on picking a place for a few months. When I picked a place, their wait list was 3 months and I never pursued testing.
          The testing process in my area takes a few hours - my wife’s took 3 on a video chat, and it took about 3 months for them to send their report to her doctor.
          Cut to a year later, my old doctor had retired, and I had a new one. She gave me a new referral for testing, but cautioned me that the wait list for most places was now 6 months. Checking around with other folks in my area confirmed this. But while at that appointment, she recommended an online company, who - after a few weeks of weighing options, I did pursue, and tested/evaluated me (no video chat, just an online survey - about half was written responses - that took about 4 hours to complete), and got results back in a week. It was $180, and may have been eligible for a reimbursement from insurance, but I have ADHD, so I never bothered.

          And like - I guess I appreciate it. It does seem like whoever made those policies made them so that the diagnosis won’t be given lightly, but it creates issues. I sorta feel that I cheated, but my test was actually reviewed by a psychiatrist, and when I told friends of my diagnosis, the most common response was ‘Duh. You didn’t know?’ - so even though the online approach is sorta ‘cheating,’ I know that it’s definitely a warranted diagnosis in my case.

          • Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml
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            2 days ago

            Yeah, that’s terrible. I do agree there needs to be some checks and my doc might be an annomaly in regards to dishing out pills for everything. But while the course so far hasn’t helped me, I’m grateful I don’t have to go through so much just to start. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.

  • ItDoBeHowItDoBe@lemmy.world
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    I literally got my diagnosis in one day at my PCP as he went through the DSM 5 criteria and asked some questions about my childhood. It took 30 min and he was not a pill pusher. He does not ever prescribe stimulants. I tried his nonstimulant medication recommendations after feeling the need to have some intervention and they were terrible. When I asked to try a different treatment, he referred me to an in network psychiatrist and things were smooth sailing. The same was true for my two brothers who were also diagnosed as adults and one was diagnosed in another state also at his PCP.

    All that being said, I think people make the jump to a psychiatrist too early when they can seek screening at a PCP first. I had to answer a few more questions for onboarding at my psychiatrist, but I never ran into any issues. I also did not have to pay for an ADHD screening because I had already been diagnosed at my PCP.

    • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      23 hours ago

      rolling through DSMV and calling it a day is wild, from my experience, at least with more off the cuff mental disorders a survey containing about a thousand or so questions is the bare minimum. Plus a few more rounds of that as you try to narrow down any other potential disorders it could be, because it turns out this is a really hard field to deal with.

      There is definitely utility in getting a diagnosis like this, but i’d imagine most wouldn’t for most things other than basic stuff like ADHD, depression, anxiety etc… There is a considerable risk of just being wrong about something, even if you roll through something like ICD10 which is markedly better than the DSMV. If you’re lucky there are a few good localized options like the akhtar profiles for SzPD which can summarize the general disorder into a handful of specifics actions more so than a broad behavioral checklist.

    • MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca
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      1 day ago

      I’m in Canada, so things here are a bit different. On top of that, things differ greatly between physicians.

      I went into my primary care physician, and I inquired about ADHD, because I’d done some learning, and thought I had it, but didn’t want to self diagnose. I thought he’d give me a referral to a psychiatrist for diagnosis, instead he gave me a survey, which was maybe 20 questions at most, took maybe a minute to fill out. After, he looked over my answers, said something to the effect of “this seems consistent with mild ADHD, do you feel it is affecting your life?” Very yes. Then he prescribed me a relatively low dose of ADHD meds, and as soon as I got that prescription filled, my life changed for the better.

      I’ve been on it ever since and much happier for it. Took like 3 minutes at my primary care physician.

      Meanwhile, my brother went to his primary, who referred him to a psychiatrist, who did weeks of discussions and examinations before any prescription was provided for him. He also has ADHD.

      Different physicians, different people, different experiences.