Adult ADHD Advice

muscari

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574090#Comment_120574090

I'm so glad to see your post today. I came online to look for adult adhd forums in ireland. I had an appointment with hse recently where they again explained to me that they don't deal with adult diagnosis for adhd. I got more of an explanation this time because I'm sick of being fobbed off. I have a diagnosis privately from an edu psychologist from a couple of years ago (in my 30s). The HSE team says they're getting more and more of these reports and they don't agree with most of them. They said the assessments are not comprehensive enough to dx ADHD. The consultant said that ADHD starts in childhood and generally ebbs away in adulthood, not the other way around. I pointed out that a lot of people go under the radar as children and he didn't dispute that but pressed his point that most adults being diagnosed with ADHD don't have it, there are lots of confounding variables and so on. I understand this, having studied psychology to degree level. But it doesn't help my situation where I need to be sure of the diagnosis and have access to treatment that could put things right that have been messed up for me my whole life. It might not be a miraculous outcome but really the way my life has gone so far worst case scenario medication makes no improvements to my situation and there's a good chance based on personal knowledge that it might well be effective for me.

So I'm really at a loss right now. On one hand, I'm there wondering did the psychologist just give me a fake dx in exchange for my money? On the other, I don't think he's that type of person and the assessment he did seem pretty comprehensive to me, it took multiple hours on different days for me to fill out all the questionnaires, I had to have someone close in my life to fill out another set and then I had a while in the psychologists office doing other tests. I think the problem might be that the resulting report focuses more on the IQ side than the ADHD investigation. It only states that I have 'accompanying ADHD' but doesn't go into how this was gauged.

As you probably all know, private psychiatry is very expensive and - worse - the wait lists are actually Closed for a lot of them dealing with adult ADHD! I asked the HSE team if they would take over the reviews if the dx were confirmed by a private psychiatrist and they said it would depend on who the psychiatrist was, that they trust some of them. The one name they gave me to go to was Alan Murtagh, who - yes - has closed his wait list. Great. Also if a team with an uber conservative attitude towards adult ADHD is selecting one or two private people that they 'trust' does that mean their conservative approaches line up and so some people that do have ADHD might still go undiagnosed? Ugh, it's all a headwreck. I just want to get a decent person who knows what they're doing check me out, see my difficulties, be able to determine is it actually ADHD and if not what else it might be and where to go from there. I don't care about the people who are getting fake diagnoses - it's nothing to do with me. The consultant was saying that 5 years ago he rarely had 'this conversation' with people and now it's 'three times a week'. He implied that it's a trend that rests on false diagnoses. I don't care. I just want to get treatment for my disabilities.

So I don't know what to do with it all. I'm not in a position to pay for private care but if a private psychiatry assessment is the next thing for me to do, I'll have to figure that out. The consultant said to me that based on the report and my previous HSE notes, there's no evidence of ADHD. When I got the dx at first, I thought no I don't have that. But then it dawned on me that that's exactly what's been going on my whole life. The more I looked into it, the more it made sense. Then I think am I just being brainwashed? And I get into my autistic headspace of tripping over my own overthinking. Sigh.

@lucalux I really relate to your story too. I'm on med card, have had treatment for depression/anxiety for some years. A lot of my depression & anxiety are direct results of my inability to 'get my **** together' in life for the big stuff and small stuff, while friends are getting on well. So many of my various behavioural issues (including with food) are directly proportional to ADHD issues. E.g. when I'm stressed and frustrated with college work, I turn to sugar to fuel my focus or when I'm distressed about interpersonal stuff, I'll often binge. It's so frustrating that they won't address - even look at - the ADHD question but instead want to put me on sleep meds and things like that. The sleep would regulate itself if the ADHD were regulated.

Thanks you guys for this space to talk about this stuff. And cheers to anyone who's read this whole thing. Needed to get it out of my system. Still processing it.

997

Does anyone have any experience with Dr Ivan Murray or Dr Aran Tomac that they could tell me about? Online via Neuromed clinic

Timing belt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120600645#Comment_120600645

The HSE does deal with ADHD and are opening clinics around the country at present. The process for assessment is as follows:

• get referred for ADHD screening. This involves 3 x 1 hour meetings with psychologist and 1 hour with close family member who knew you as a child.
• if screening is positive you get referred to a HSE ADHD clinic where you meet psychiatrist and team for further assessments. In my case it was 3 x 1hour meetings before I was diagnosed and they looked for school reports etc.
• Once diagnosed they talked through different treatments and agreed a plan. In my case I was put on medication starting on a low dose and gradually increasing with regular check ups.
• In addition to medication there are groups they get you to join and put you on courses and spend time with occupational therapy.

It might be the case that they haven’t set up a ADHD in your catchment area yet.

clio_16v

I went to my doc and got ECG and bloods. He said he would send the results to her. I heard nothing back from her but I am in no mad rush to take meds either. Diagnosis was over 6 months ago

Fishingmad2013

Is that wait time normal for her? Have an appointment myself and I'm unsure if I'll go ahead with it.

zozimus

I sent her ECG and BP results. Silence. I've followed up with her and asked her what her proposed next steps would be. I specifically want to see how medication affects me and if it's a valuable part of treatment for me.

I'll see if she replies. If she doesn't then I'll be discussing the matter with the appropriate authorities. My advice at the moment would be to hold off on an appointment with her.

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609923#Comment_120609923

Oh and I've verified that she is a registered practitioner https://www.medicalcouncil.ie/public-information/check-the-register/search-results/?regno=429650&doctorid=70d40797-147f-ec11-8d21-00224881b2dd

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120609941#Comment_120609941

Maria was back in touch and she has sent a prescription to my pharmacy with dates for follow up after the first week.

AerLingus747

out of interest... what is the benefit of being diagnosed? Other than knowing why you are the way you are?

Seems like outside of meds and lifetime of therapy, there's nothing else?

Asking because I've done numerous online tests and scored mid to high on them for ADHD, and have struggled a lot in life with studying, social interaction, and even just simple things like housework...

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616403#Comment_120616403

Hey (love the username by the way )

To access medication

To access therapy

To have a professional 'validation' of any request for accommodations in work or public settings.

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616435#Comment_120616435

is it worth all the hassle?

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617192#Comment_120617192

I suppose if the problem is affecting your life to a great extent. Everywhere in my life was / is chaos. Rooms full of rubbish, half finished projects. Nothing ever followed through and getting anything done involved huge effort and ways to 'trick' myself into completing tasks. Nothing remembered, notes and lists everywhere. I guess the chaos and effort just got to be overwhelmingly exhausting.

So here I am - medication taken for the first time and already noticing a calmness and clarity of thought. We'll see how it goes. Every person is different. I'll report back. Not expecting miracles but am expecting intentful improvement.

AerLingus747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617289#Comment_120617289

Thank you for the honest insight...

I suppose if you looked at me, I would look normal, but I have huge ambitions which are always hampered by how I think...

For example, I'm studying a college module... If I don't get that last minute panic study, I don't learn anything, but I will take 4 weeks of "focusing" on study just to get to that point... in the mean time everything else falls to ****, fitness, family, relationships... it's an all or nothing type scenario, even though, if I mapped it all out, I have tons of time.... just no focus...

If I map out anything, it lasts a day and I get bored of it and do something different... I could cruise and be "normal" I guess, but I would torcher myself with the boredom of it

farmerval

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617895#Comment_120617895

All that I can add is about my son who is ADD. While I have many similar tendencies seeing it in him has given me greater clarity on the effects it has on him.

First is concentration, but it's more than just the ability to concentrate, it's the ability to concentrate with the ability to comprehend. In first year in secondary school in maths they dealt with income tax, e.g. A is paid x amount and has x tax etc. etc. The slight complicating factor being paid weekly and tax credits annually etc. He dealt with these easy enough. In second year in project maths, the information is in a long paragraph and no way could he figure it out. He absolutely could not read the paragraph and take the relevant information in, trying to help him it was hard to comprehend the difficulty but it was completely real. Now 8 years later he still couldn't read a long paragraph and glean the relevant information from it.

He is on Concerta with 3 years. It helps him, but it's not a silver bullet. He finds it helps him, his mind doesn't drift in the same way. He has greatly reduced procrastination, he finds it easier to just get on with things.

Prior to going on medication to get started studying or start doing anything took forever, every time he went to sit down he thought of something else, get an apple, get his earphones, look for his pencil case, etc. etc. etc. With the meds that's much improved. However the deeper concentration and understanding piece is still an issue.

When he's at work, without the meds he finds his mind drifts quite a bit which results in forgetting stuff, not being on top of what he's at. With the meds his mind doesn't drift near as much, he stays tuned in way better. So from that point of view the meds work well. Organisation, working logically and being focussed are all improved. But the meds only go so far. He still cannot concentrate and study like other people, he needs to do something so many times before he gets it off. This is apparent at his work, repetitious stuff suits him great.

When he was learning to drive, when we went out with him to practice I knew straight away if he had taken his meds or not, without them he was constantly adjusting the steering, even on a straight road, just constant little adjustments. with the meds they were gone. Also without the meds his decision making driving was very poor, he was shocking indecisive on roundabouts etc.

For him meds have been a game changer in lots of ways. But the medication is not moving him onto a level playing field, their just getting him closer.

Timing belt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120616403#Comment_120616403

one major benefit is educating yourself and understanding why you do things….years and years of failure damage yourself image and can lead to deep unhappiness and depression when you don’t know why you are failing at life. The diagnosis puts a new lens on this and you tend to be kinder to yourself. It’s not all about medication (it does help a lot) but also self awareness and putting structured in place to help. The other big benefit is knowing that there are others out there just like you.

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120617895#Comment_120617895

That sounds very familiar. That kind of ADHD behaviour can be something else masking as ADHD too, of course. I know someone with similar traits as a result of childhood trauma and abuse. He's looking for ways to be able to develop structures and systems that last more than a day (or an hour).

There isn't a magic bullet - I'm trying medication and I know that I also need coaching. I'm middle aged (technically ;-) ) and want to be happy and kind to myself for the next years instead of telling myself I could have done more all the time.

I know that sometimes in the past my exam results were not a true reflection of my ability - whereas in the past I might have told myself I was being deluded about how intelligent I was, I genuinely know now that to even get the results I did with the ADHD chaos going on, was a great achievement.

So definitely be kind to yourself in all this. You're doing great.

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120618217#Comment_120618217

Thank you for this - it's very insightful and it's in line with what I'm setting myself up to expect from medication.

garv123

Do people have to pay their doctor monthly for prescriptions or can you get a monthly repeat sent to the pharmacy?

PmMeUrDogs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777002#Comment_120777002

My GP at the moment chooses not to prescribe for ADHD so I will have to go through Dr. Martinez (I'm newly diagnosed, 4 weeks), so I believe it'll be 15-20 a month for a repeat prescription.

I don't intend to stay on medication long though (with his full support, our goal is to get my mind focused and calm on meds so that I can do cbt to come off them) so it won't have a massive financial impact.

zozimus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777002#Comment_120777002

I haven't had to pay for the repeat prescription yet. This is the second month so I'm still in the titration period.

crackers91

Hey folks.

For years I've mostly just lurked here, but this place seems really beneficial so I might start contributing more. I'm in my early 30s and have always suspected that I have ADHD, but haven't done much about it. I've got the usual symptoms - inattention, inconsistency with habits and routines, hyperactivity etc.

I've been seriously looking at getting an assessment. I don't mind going private as I imagine the wait times will be shorter, but I'm unsure what the most reliable options are currently. I've looked at the assessors listed on ADHD Ireland, and I've inquired with multiple off the back of that. Dr Jaime Martinez seems like the best bet, but I think his waiting list could be long. I've also tried adhdclinic.ie, but I'm waiting to here back. Is Daniel still as active as the thread would suggest he was?

Finally, what does everyone currently think of the ADHD assessment provided by Centric Health? It's pricier than the other options, and I can't help but wonder if it's a bit scammy and taking advantage of a vulnerable group (example: you having to get reassessed by a psychiatrist outside their system if you want further help or medication). Should I avoid them?

Timing belt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120899658#Comment_120899658

I would ensure assessment is from psychiatrist otherwise you will end up paying twice in the long run.

crackers91

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902642#Comment_120902642

Thanks, I was thinking this myself but it's always good to see someone else state it.

From a diagnosis perspective, I think the diagnosis is more to confirm a lot of my existing theories and help me deal with some of my more frustrating symptoms.

I never really struggle in work (or get impostor syndrome etc) as I excel in fire fighting and when there's a crisis, but the day to day and long term planning stuff can be hard at times (I'm a Site Reliability Engineer, a software engineer who specialised in website uptime/reliability).

I think I'm more struggling in my personal life from it - I can't keep hobbies for **** (since I was a kid), and I'm generally inconsistent in other parts of life - remembering things, being aware of others etc.

I don't think I necessarily need medication, I've managed for 32 years without it and have done quite well for myself. But, a part of me wonders what I'd be like if I wasn't a a mess in my personal life - would I be more fulfilled and less prone to my impulses if I had the meds to set myself into a routine? These are all questions for a psych, but I wanted to get some perspectives  

routine_feeling7814

Dr Sean O Domhnaill - Rathfarnam, Dublin

Hi everyone 👋 

I would be interested in hearing about people’s experiences with Dr Sean O Domhnaill who has an clinic based in Rathfarnam, Dublin. My experience wasn’t great. 

I found him to be very unprofessional. Had an appointment for 10am but was left standing outside his clinic till 1.30pm because he overslept. He also never took out my file when I was there and barely asked much about my medical history. For the majority of the appointment, he spoke about himself and how great he is. He said he cured lupus & reversed certain diseases. After saying that, he paused and expected me to respond like “woah” or “ooooh”. He spoke about his hatred for the HSE while drinking coffee out of his “genius at work” mug. 

I explained to him that the concerta wasn’t working for me that I just get very tired after taking it. He comes out with oh it’s my thyroid and to get blood tests done on it even if he doesn’t trust doctors thyroid panels. As I’ve mentioned, he didn’t once take out my file (I don’t know if he even read it) and began talking about everything related to the thyroid and “hashimotos” disease. He was saying that is why my medication wasn’t working. I ended up getting an extensive thyroid panel done and it turns out it’s perfectly fine. So I still don’t know why the concerta isn’t working, I am now on 108mg and find I’m very tired after taking it. Dr Sean keeps saying it’s my thyroid….

frogstar

Hi All

Like most of you I am looking to get officially diagnosed. Very hard to get responses at all and when I do, the wait list is 2024/2025.

Maria Rubeo has availability and is only 550. I know she is a registered to practice but my concern is how 'cheap' she is compared to others and also that she uses a Gmail address. In my line of work that's a big red flag.

But keen to get official diagnose soon (otherwise my want will wear off:) )

Any thoughts, worth the chance or could be a little scam in some way? I'm probably trying to talk myself out here but really cannot wait until 2025

I thought that new ADHD clinic in merrion (but now dun laoghaire) would have been perfect as I liked their fee structure but they have not responded to my mails nor when I phoned and left a message. Very disappointing

tittybiscuits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121139069#Comment_121139069

Hey I actually had to cancel my appointment last July and said I would get back to him to arrange a new one soon, haven't had the chance yet. Where did you see reviews for him?

ADHD and Me

Hi All

I thought I would post here as I'm about to start my journey to see if I have undiagnosed ADHD,

I have an appointment with my GP on Wednesday to start the process.

I'm a 44 year old Male.

Gremlinertia

Brave of you. I've a friend a similar age facing into the same, I wish you the best, welcome to the thread I hope you find comfort here

ADHD and Me

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121233367#Comment_121233367

Ah thanks.

My money is on a ADHD diagnosis but let's see.

I'm looking to follow the HSE ADHD Clinical Pathway so my GP will the first port of call.

I don't want to take shortcuts with these online assessments as I really want to understand why what i always thought was a normal behaviour and thought process seems to be different to everyone else.

Gremlinertia

All I can say is be very patient with the process, much like any area of medicine the services are awfully stretched, we'll be here to chat