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Adult ADHD Advice

cannex

This thread for adults who think they might have ADHD, want advice about what it means to be an adult with this neurological disorder and how to access help in Ireland to reach a diagnosis and what you are entitled to.

If you are here to spout ignorant nonsense about it being a pretend condition you are not welcome.
This thread is specifically for people looking for support.

I am a recently diagnosed adult and I am willing and able to anwer questions, to the best of my abilty, and from my own experience about managing ADHD and how to deal with a new diagnosis.

I can also answer questions about tips and techniques.

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Shint0

Greenmachine wrote: »

Was not aware there were any medicines approved for use in adults in this country for adhd.

Yes, there are, Greenmachine, just to answer you but you need a positive diagnosis because some of them would fall under 'controlled substances' so would have various regulations around them as to how they are dispensed.

cannex

Greenmachine wrote: »

Was not aware there were any medicines approved for use in adults in this country for adhd.

Yup, cant talk about it here I dont think. I dont want to cross the line talking about medicines.
That would be a conversation reserved for someone and the consultant psychologist to decide.

nelbot

cannex wrote: »

Yup, cant talk about it here I dont think. I dont want to cross the line talking about medicines.
That would be a conversation reserved for someone and the consultant psychologist to decide.

Some medicines that are used in other countries are banned here, but not all.

Greenmachine

cannex wrote: »

Yup, cant talk about it here I dont think. I dont want to cross the line talking about medicines.
That would be a conversation reserved for someone and the consultant psychologist to decide.

Wouldn't expect you to mention specific medications. The regime would be tailored for you specifically.

cannex

I really wish we could talk about medication.

I read through the guidlines and I couldnt find the part that says to not discuss medications.

It did say to not give advice on medications so I'm not sure where the line is drawn???

Can any of you guys enlighten me as to what is taboo and what is acceptable?

Because as an adult with recently diagnosed ADHD I want to discuss the types of medication available to adults in Ireland and I want to describe the rules, laws and regulations around them.

Is this OK?

Where do I draw the line?

I would really like to pick peoples brains here on the type of treatments, ie. therapy, meds and anything else they have experienced in Ireland and how they found it helped them.

Can we do that without it being seen as advice????

Confused.

On another note would anyone like to discuss the other facet of ADHD which is anxiety.......for me especially it is crippling social anxiety and its getting worse. I have no psychological support as I am on a waiting list but not deemed a high priority as I dont want to harm myself.

Have quite bad tremors in my hands and neck today over the meds.

Rant over.......I can see a few of ye are online so hoping for a discussion with fellow adult ADHDers in Ireland.

Gremlinertia

Hi Cannex, basically you can discuss types of treatments, the critical words are not giving medical advice so suggesting medications or treatments to other posters is a no, as is discussing levels of medications, rule of thumb, if you think you are starting to sound like a doctor or other health professional stop and read back to make sure you're not crossing the line.. Hope this helps

Grem

cannex

Thanks for your reply, can I ask a couple more questions about this^^^^^^^

CAn I talk about and mention the type of medication and treatments I am getting and talk about the side effects and benefits?

Or should I just stear clear altogether of mentioning any types of medication by name?

OR do I just always preface any discussion on treatment, including medications with - this is not advice and you should speak to your DR, this is my experience only?

And, can you explain a little bit more about what you mean by levels of medication please?

Thank you so much.

Gremlinertia

cannex wrote: »

Thanks for your reply, can I ask a couple more questions about this^^^^^^^

CAn I talk about and mention the type of medication and treatments I am getting and talk about the side effects and benefits?
In short, yes, just steer clear of recommending or warning others off anything

Or should I just stear clear altogether of mentioning any types of medication by name?
You can certainly mention names of meds and treatments

OR do I just always preface any discussion on treatment, including medications with - this is not advice and you should speak to your DR, this is my experience only?
The charter covers this so it's a given that the poster speaks from personal experience

And, can you explain a little bit more about what you mean ny levels of medication please?
I mean dosages, people vary hugely in what they may be prescribed, so posters may get concerned if their numbers a very different from someone else

Thank you so much.

Grem

cannex

Greenmachine wrote: »

Was not aware there were any medicines approved for use in adults in this country for adhd.

Now that I am clearer on discussing medications I will answer your question a bit better.

There is only one medication that is licensed for adults with adhd in Ireland and it is called Strattera.
It is relatively new and is hailed as a non addictive treatment for adults.

Stimulants are licenced for children and the idea behind this is that parents have control over the dosages and therefore there is little chance of them being abused.

Stimulants are not licenced for adults for a few reasons:
Adults with ADHD are more likely to have abused drugs in the past according to research so prescribing a controlled substance is a big no no in Ireland.
I also think this could be down to a lack of understanding due to Ireland being fairly behind in general regarding this issue.
The reason being is that first of all, there are now slow release stimulants that have a much lower potential for abuse.
Research points to the fact that once adults who are treated with medication, stimulant or not, will in general stop abusing illegal drugs or self medicating with alcohol and other drugs.

I take slow release ritalin and unlicensed medication like this can only be prescribed by the consultant psychologist and secondly the GP must be comfortable writing the prescription.

The GP cannot offer advice and discuss dosage. To do this I must wait for my appointment with the mental health team.
The last time my dosage changed I had an hour long meeting with the head clinical psychologist. I guess because it is a controlled medication.

The reason stimulants are not licenced for adults in Ireland is because there is concern for abuse.

Methylphenidate - ritalin, adderall, concerta and vyanse are all versions of methylphenidate.

cannex

The HSE in Cork do not accept any private diagnosis for adult ADHD, just found out that today and it needs to change.

I am seeing a HSE psychlogist and she is trying to back track and find other reasons why I am having certain difficulties.
Apparently they do not accept a diagnosis from the the foremost expert on ADHD in Ireland.
I spent the day looking for HSE approved assessment through a private psychologist and the prices range from €600 - €800.

There a plenty out there who are willing to take the money.

Today I spoke to another psychologist who informed me that I do not need to seek another diagnosis, I already have one.
If the HSE has an issue with my diagnosis then I will need to ask for the reasons in writing which I will be doing.

I have a fight on my hands and I will not back down.

Extremely stressful to say the least.

Shint0

Very interesting, Cannex, very interesting. To be honest that's why I have been hesitant to post in this thread because as I said before my diagnosis is up in the air so I almost feel like an impostor posting here if you understand me because of such confusion and professional disagreement about my diagnosis. I was refused medication so can't even discuss that point thoroughly although a mental health professional that was allocated to me after my second assesment made a case on my behalf in support of ADHD meds. I will refer to something else I found of benefit in another post but won't name specifically.

I was referred by my GP to what is supposed to be a specialist unit for Adult ADHD in this country in a private healthcare institution to see a general consultant and registrar first. My GP, who knows me well and has all my medical history did tell me at the time while my medical history started to make absolute sense from an ADHD perspective, to get a diagnosis in Ireland at my age would be next to impossible. I had heard similar from someone else.

Years ago I was prescibed lithium from a different mental health service here. While I was never given a formal diagnosis of bipolar I was prescibed it to see if it would help with my symptoms. Severe depression with a non-stop thought process and restlessness in situations of overstimulation and intellectual stimulalation which might appear to look identical to bipolar. The restlessness was there from a very young age but it was much more internal than external so would never have been observed. I understand this is actually quite common among people with ADHD.

I remained on lithium for 15 years even when I was no longer depressed but in the belief that it was preventative and maybe there was a bipolar element there but nonetheless I continued to experience all the symptoms and behaviours similar to ADHD and which bipolar alone could never explain. Of course I never even considered ADHD because as we all know that's mostly experienced by young boys with outwardly disruptive behaviour in a classroom. Or is it.

For me something just never added up until it did start to add up. A parent considered one of my siblings to possibly have ADHD from a young age but it was never investigated. Now I can identify so many ADHD behaviours all on one side of my family. It all makes sense and listening to stories and narratives of various relatives when I was growing up I can trace it back possibly even five generations all on one side of the family.

When I asked my GP to refer me for an assessment he believed it would only be a matter of weeks as it was private but clearly he didn't know. As I discovered the waiting list was so long for an assessment with that paryicular ADHD unit I asked them if I got a diagnosis elsewhere could I still avail of their services as they appeared to offer a range of supports. I was told no problem.

So off I went to a separate consultant psychologist who at least claims to specialise in the area of Adult ADHD as well as other specific learning disabilities and lectures in universities here from what I understand. He conducted a thorough interview of my life history, my medical history and I disclosed fully everything about my situation, my cognitive processes, behaviours etc. He administered certain questionnaires but he said in all honesty if you are hoping to avail of the supports of the other service they will still want to conduct their own assessment.

He told me he absolutely believed I have ADHD in the mix of of life circumstances. I also disclosed all significant behaviours of family members whom I strongly believe have ADHD which is relevant as there is such a strong genetic component. He told me if he was working with me he would initially start with six months of behavioural therapy to address the ADHD issues and if that approach didn't work then he would recommend ADHD medication and refer me to a psychiatrist who could prescribe same.

I still wanted to opt for the other service as I felt it would be a one-stop shop with access to doctors, therapy and seemingly various other supports all within the same organisation. In any event I didn't find I could gel with that particular cinsultant psychologist and while he had expertise in the area I feel rapport is essential and half the battle which I know from my own work. Somebody made a similar reference in a thread on Reddit Ireland in relation to ADHD here. Some months later an appointment did come up for an assessment in the original service and I decided to attend which I will describe in the next post.

cannex

I guessed that you had experienced this situation when I went back to the thread and began writing about my situation, it made sense all of a sudden!

So you do have a diagnosis but not according to the HSE? Because they didnt conduct the assessment....?
Except - their adult assessment does not exist only by being assessed by a HSE psychologist who does not have the expertise?

I am now being told by the psyciatrist that I will be assessed again........and she is arguementative and trying to run rings round me using her training to get me to say waht she wants to hear reagarding how I "feel" about my diagnosis!!!
She keeps asking me about my mood and I cut her off and told I do not have bi-polar as I have agood friend with it and know what it looks like.
She tried to imply that issues were due to my life experiences etc etc etc. Anything but ADHD.

I spoke to a private psychologist and she told me I absolutely do not need another assessment, the problem is with the HSE trying to steer things on their responsibility towards adults with ADHD.

I was told to get it in writing, what their problem is with my diagnosis and refuse another assessment and that is what I am going to do.
I was told to go to a solicitor and that is what I am going to do. I spoke to a solicitors office today and will hear back from them after the long weekend.

I look forward to reading your further posts on this matter as I want to see how similiar it is.

Shint0

No, I didn't have any contact with the HSE in relation to ADHD assessments and never intend to. My assessments were all private but I have had a very similar experience to you in relation to differing diagnoses being suggested by both. One saying everything appears to indicate ADHD while the second, a team of doctors, a psychologist and a nurse carried out an assessment and offered a completely different diagnosis instead.

However, another mental health professional they referred me to within their own organisation after that assessment disagreed with their diagnosis. I believed they had got it wrong and he agreed with me that everything pointed towards ADHD and expressed shock that they didn't diagnose me with it after he met with me several times and he apparently has lots of experience working directly with adults with ADHD.

I think any attempts he made to have my diagnosis reviewed again to include ADHD just fell on deaf ears. It seems they would simply not back down and accept their own 'experts' may have got it wrong even when one of their own colleagues disagreed. It was a complete farce and I will post more about my experience and their assessment over the next few days if I can.

I just wanted to reply at least to say I understand completely the stress and frustration in relation to differences of opinon professionally in relation to Adult ADHD and attempts by various doctors to try to invalidate you and twist things around. Been there. I could write a tome on this but I have pretty much given up on mental health services at this stage and don't intend to pursue it further. After my experience with that well known private institution they have absolutely no credibilty in my eyes.

To be continued.....

RazzaR

Hi guys, newly Diagnosed but i had to do all the running myself, i walked into my Doctor with a Referral form i Printed from the Dean Clinic website and asked him to refer me. A year later i attended my appointment and got Diagnosed.

cannex

RazzaR wrote: »

Hi guys, newly Diagnosed but i had to do all the running myself, i walked into my Doctor with a Referral form i Printed from the Dean Clinic website and asked him to refer me. A year later i attended my appointment and got Diagnosed.

Well done. Hope you get the help you need now.

Unfortunately the Dean clinic is no longer taking on any more ADHD assessments. I was told the waiting list is really long so they have stopped taking on new referrals.

Yesterday I discovered the NAAS Clinic. It is private, like the Dean clinic. They specialise in assessing people for neurological disorders. The person who runs it is an expert in ADHD and ASD. The assessment is thorough.

As my diagnosis is not accepted my the HSE from one person I have to go and get assessed again.

One thing to make sure before being assessed is to ask if the assessment is approved by the HSE, otherwise its a waste of time and money. A Dean clinic diagnosis is approved I presume.

Shint0

cannex wrote: »

I was told to go to a solicitor and that is what I am going to do. I spoke to a solicitors office today and will hear back from them after the long weekend.

Any developments on that? Would be interesting to see if the HSE's refusal to accept an external diagnosis can be challenged.

cannex

I spoke to a solicitor on the phone and she was so helpful it was unbelievable. She gave me so much free advice.
There were many things she said about the process I need to go through to fight my corner but in reality I think I would be causing myself some amount of stress fighting them.

My worry is that when the HSE assesses me they will minimise everything to depression or anxiety and try to explain it all away or mis-diagnose me. Firstly I have no idea who will be assessing me and what kind of experience of opinion they will have regarding adult ADHD. This, to me is not ideal.

I decided to get another assessment with the NAAS clinic in 2 weeks time. The HSE wants to re-assess me too so I hope I get to Naas before then. Really worried the HSE psychologist will fob me off so gonna beat them to it by choosing myself who I see, based on their expertise.

Shint0

Well that is something very much to be taken into consideration - the cost of any legal fees and resulting challenge to the HSE against just trying to get a diagnosis that will be approved.

You can certainly see my frustraion now from when you first started the thread with differences of opinions among mental health professionals leading to different outcomes and diagnoses.

It's something I've posted about on Boards a few times and the way they zone in on particular issues particularly with regard to life circumstances without being able to take a more holistic and detached perspective. Some of them are simply not able to diiferentiate been cause and effect. That has been my experience and I can see how it is so worrying for you to have to face that challenge.

RazzaR

And yes i was put on a stimulant

Shint0

So how are people here doing anyway regardless of the long-standing battles to get a diagnosis or to have one approved or reconfirmed?

While there has always been so much controversy around overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis and overmedication particularly in kids, in genuine cases I do feel medication is probably the most effective intervention. While behavioural therapy can serve as an adjunct to medication I feel to be used as a single approach is about as effective as a chocloate teapot.

In my case, I think this was recognised by a mental health professional I was sent to after one of my assessments where the assessment team declared I do not have the condition yet they failed to provide me with a written report which they said they would or put anything in writing which is standard common practice following any psychological assessment and which I requested. Funny that! Did they think I was so stupid I would fail to notice that?

When I told their own colleague they referred me to afterwards about this failure he was quite shocked by that too and it seems they also failed to inform him of some significant information they did deduce from the assessment by which he was equally shocked by their omission in their report to him. He was also quite surprised by the huge degree of emphasis they placed on my life circumstances during the assessment but any attempts on his part to have it reviewed were futile as he said he wasn't part of the assessment team so he was powerless.

My main issues revolve around hyperfocus (huge issues with that), understimulation and overstimulation with a high degree of distractibilty and an overall general dislike for the mundane. Being in a highly overcharged state leads to complete blackouts in time and the state in which I am at high risk of losing things.

These would include commonplace, everyday items which you use the most e.g. hairbrushes, combs, keys etc. While I have always tried to develop an automatic reflex of placing my keys in a designated safe place they don't always reach that place . You end up having to try to retrace your steps which is impossible when there is a complete loss of awareness of time and having to pull the entire house apart searching through rubbish bins and wheelie bins with gloves on and going round in a general daze.

The last time I lost my keys I know it was in the night-time. I found them weeks later in the garden mowing the grass somewhere near where the wheelie bins are stored but with no recollection of ever having been there that night. Very costly also as some keys are expensive to replace. That's just one example of one manifestation. Never a dull moment but yet my brain couldn't possibly entertain dull or boring if it was served to me on a platter with sugar on top. Oh the joys!!!

cannex

Hey Shint0
Sorry it took so long to respond, such is the nature of the beast.
in general i have a lot of problems with transitions as they call it. excuse all the lower case letters as my shift key is fecked.

i have major major problems with planing ahead which carrys through to not being able to get very far in life with many plans. something that will take a normal person 2 years will take me on average 5 - 8 years to do the same thing, ie. college, life plans etc.

lots of stops and starts, giving up after being overwhelmed. i'd love to hear from any people reading this thread how they get on if they have the adhd under control.

for me, losing things was the bane of my existence as a child and i was constantly in trouble for forgetting my homework, musical instruments, p.e kit etc etc. i guess after that really sticking out in my head as an adult i am completely anal about having a place for everything and put these things in their places as soon as i walk in the door at home, i put my keys on the microwave, its the first thing i do when i get home and i have a stand right next to the couch which has three drawers, one for medical, one for bills and one for other stuff. they all get seperated and my bag gets emptied every day. i have a box in front of me where all the cards go, leap card, social welfare card etc.

this helps a lot but my home is a bloody mess as my bf is a messy bugger but when i lived alone EVERYTHING had a place and it was tidy, ah well.

I will tell you about the new assessment I had yesterday in a new post, ah the shift key works again, cool

cannex

Yesterday I travelled from Cork to Kildare and it was no easy journey as there is no direct route so had to go to dublin first and then to kildare. spent 7 hours travelling!!

I went to see Dr Sean Domhnaill at The NAAS Clinic. He is an expert in ADHD, ASD and neurodevelopmental disorders.
I spent two hours in the office talking with him. He was brilliant at making me feel at ease and as soon as he walked in the door he said "you are here for an ADHD assessment, arent you?"
I said yes and he asked me how he knew and I assumed that he had it on his notes on the computer but no. I said I have no idea and he said he could tell straight away by all the fidgeting and squirming. We spoke at length about my difficulties and about the trouble I was experiencing with the HSE not accepting my diagnosis.

The appointment was not rushed in any way at all and he took the time to listen and he is well aware of the lack of knowledge, expertise and training the general irish psychology community has at this time about adult adhd and asd.

He is on the Irish medical council and his diagnosis cannot be argued with. He is also a forensic psyhchologist with the irish courts and the HSE cannot argue with him.

So, anyway I got almost the exact same diagnosis as Prof Fitzgerald gave me except that he said i am on the autistic spectrum but dont fit all the critera so they call it PDD - pervasive developmental disorder.

He had changed all my meds and a bit scared about that but he is hands on and i will go back to see him in a couple of months to see how i am getting on with the new meds.

Shint0, if you want to end all the hassle and crap you have had to go through I would highly recommend you go see this guy.

He is sending a report to the horrible nasty psychiatrist i had to deal with in the hse and will be sending a full, detailed report and i cannot wait to shove it where the sun dont shine.

The nasty psychiatrist was actually trying to imply that i had borderline personality disorder and i knew it straight away as i had a best friend with it, dealt with it for years and did my research so i knew she was trying to railroad me into a wrong diagnosis and that is why i freaked the hell out and got to see Dr Domhnaill ASAP.

Please do this for youself and get the support/help you DESERVE.

Shint0

Wow Cannex! Lots of stuff there and lots of questions for you.

First things first. So your first assessment was with Prof. Michael Fitzgerald? Are you really saying they wouldn't accept his diagnosis? Is the issue that they wouldn't accept his diagnosis or they refuse to accept any external diagnosis which wasn't conducted within the HSE? It leaves the question as to what's their criteria for an 'approved' assessment and diagnosis.

The assessment you had just recently sounds like it went really well for you. Did you ask him about HSE approval and if he has had any issues with having any of his diagnoses accepted and recognised by the HSE? My guess is and it's only a guess is that you could be the first person to present to the HSE with an adult diagnosis of ADHD and from an external psychologist or psychiatrist so the whole area might be unprecedented for them but do they accept any of his other diagnoses, I wonder?

Are you hoping to access the HSE because of financial reasons? You don't have divulge that if you prefer not to but obviously it has thrown up an issue for the HSE around accepting ADHD assessments which have been conducted privately even with mental health experts who are reputed in the country.

Your most recent assessment seems to confirm the same findings at least from the ADHD perspective although I know you say it has thrown up another issue with being on the autistic spectrum. How did that psychologist come to that finding, I wonder and that it wasn't suggested from your previous assessment? The whole area of psychological testing can be a bit of a minefield producing resulting with sometimes more questions than it can answer.

How did he conduct the ADHD assessment? Did you do the cognitive testing with him as well because the cognitive test results seems to have been a significant issue for me in my second assessment along with a few other factors namely l'ife circumstances', not having access to school reports at 38 years old which they said nobody ever does anyway (go figure) and nobody to vouch for my behaviour.

The most significant person who might have been in a position to answer was entering their death bed at the time but I guess that wasn't a good enough reason for them and who most likely appears to have had it themselves looking at their life from that frame of reference

Interesting about the old 'borderline' chestnut you mention. The last desperate attempt of some incompetent psychiatrists when they can't get anything else to stick. The last psychiatrist I met within that same clinic, and I mean last, was trying her damednest I know to pin a personality disorder on me after only meeting me just once for about fifteen minutes simply because she refused to accept their ADHD team might have got it wrong.

This was in the face of the behavioural therapist I was sent to afterwards for a number of sessions saying 'Hang on, this really does look like ADHD here'. He knew from meeting me several times I don't really fit the criteria for any personality disorder and certainly not borderline which I have extensive knowledge of myself and that's definitely not me. It's insulting as well to others who do genuinely have borderline personality/ emotional dysregulation disorder for the medical profession to lump it around.

I nodded my head about your 'planning issues' and have lots of examples and anecdotes myself on that score. I laughed when you talked about you now being more organised than your boyfriend but you clearly have learned ways to compensate which could potentially go against someone during an adult assessment.

I have seen this with an elderly relative on the same side who clearly has the condition and people over the years thinking how organised he is and with me knowing what I know now he obviously managed to develop coping strategies himself without actually knowing or understanding the quirks in his behaviour.

He never married for those reasons; same with some other members of my family who strongly fit the description. It's almost as if we are being 'bred' out because of our idiosyncrasies being unrecognised and untreated. That is in effect what has happened extensively in my family.

Relationships can definitely be a challenge as understandably some of the behaviours can be frustrating for partners. I have seen a reference to women at least, it might also be true for men but where women with ADHD can end up in abusive relationships. I believe this to be true. I know this to be true. It's not even a case of low self-esteem but a recognition on a practical level I think that finding an understanding partner can be a challenge.

Apologies for the long post but it's a very complex issue; not easy to define or diagnose or indeed measure the resulting effects of being left untreated particularly where there appears to be a generational cycle and legacy of unrecognised ADHD.

cannex

Wow Cannex! Lots of stuff there and lots of questions for you.

Shint0 wrote: »

First things first. So your first assessment was with Prof. Michael Fitzgerald? Are you really saying they wouldn't accept his diagnosis? Is the issue that they wouldn't accept his diagnosis or they refuse to accept any external diagnosis which wasn't conducted within the HSE? It leaves the question as to what's their criteria for an 'approved' assessment and diagnosis.

Yes it was. There seems to be an issue with Prof Fitzgeralds diagnosis in general with the HSE. The reason given to me was that his report was too vague. I was asked by the psych what tools he used and how long he spent with me. I should mention that he also diagnosed me with aspergers which i always thought was wierd as i dont fit a lot of the criteria, plus being female brings up other issues as females with aspergers look a lot different to males with the same disorder as we tend to be more socially adept.

Shint0 wrote: »

The assessment you had just recently sounds like it went really well for you. Did you ask him about HSE approval and if he has had any issues with having any of his diagnoses accepted and recognised by the HSE?

I rang many clinics and the first question I asked them all was: is your assessment accepted by the HSE - one person told me that the HSE will not recognise any outside/private diagnosis. Only problem here is that they are not equiped to assess adult adhd, that was my issue, especially in Cork for some reason. When I rang The NAAS Clinic it was also my first question and I got a resounding, confident YES. so i booked and appointment there and then, i was lucky to get a cancellation and that is why I was seen so quickly, otherwise it woul have been Sept/Oct. His assessments are recognised by the HSE.

Shint0 wrote: »

My guess is and it's only a guess is that you could be the first person to present to the HSE with an adult diagnosis of ADHD and from an external psychologist or psychiatrist so the whole area might be unprecedented for them but do they accept any of his other diagnoses, I wonder?

I was told at one appointment at my 3 monthly appointments with the HSE mental health team that they only had one other person in the whole of their area diagnosed with ADHD and that was because her child was diagnosed first and obviously she recognised her issues from there.

Shint0 wrote: »

Are you hoping to access the HSE because of financial reasons? You don't have divulge that if you prefer not to but obviously it has thrown up an issue for the HSE around accepting ADHD assessments which have been conducted privately even with mental health experts who are reputed in the country.

Yes definately for financial reasons but I am finding that the stress of not getting treatment suitable for ADHD (as they seem to think I dont have it) Its becoming more obvious to me that I might be better off finding a sliding scale therapist to see every so often as i can afford.

Shint0 wrote: »

Your most recent assessment seems to confirm the same findings at least from the ADHD perspective although I know you say it has thrown up another issue with being on the autistic spectrum. How did that psychologist come to that finding, I wonder and that it wasn't suggested from your previous assessment? The whole area of psychological testing can be a bit of a minefield producing resulting with sometimes more questions than it can answer.

Never mentioned the aspergers diagnosis before as I felt I didnt have it although I do have a lot of traits and problems around the autistic spectrum but I dont fit all the criteria, like obsessive hobbies and lack of eye contact but i do have a lot of sensory problems with noise/sounds and social cues. That is why Dr Domhnaill said it is called PDD - NOS - Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. So that is the difference between Fitzgeralds diagnosis and Dr Domhnaills diagnosis. So I also have sensory processing disorder but this is not recognised as a real disorder!

Shint0 wrote: »

How did he conduct the ADHD assessment? Did you do the cognitive testing with him as well because the cognitive test results seems to have been a significant issue for me in my second assessment along with a few other factors namely l'ife circumstances', not having access to school reports at 38 years old which they said nobody ever does anyway (go figure) and nobody to vouch for my behaviour.

There was no congnitive test but i did have results from one I did in 2007 which diagnosed me with dyscalculia. The life circumstances thing seems to me to wrongly attributed to difficult behaviour when testing for ADHD. i was asked a lot about my family, growing up, school, teenage years and gave him lots of information of examples of my behaviour. so it was an interview basically. I told him about my chaotic life growing up and he mentioned that this can often be attributed to one or both parents having their own issues. The family history and behaviour and genetics seems to be a really strong way of getting an idea of the hereditary factor which is wel known. I can see traits in both parents one, being the sensory stuff and my dads side the asd stuff, cant look you in the eye etc and obsessive hobbies.

Shint0 wrote: »

Interesting about the old 'borderline' chestnut you mention. The last desperate attempt of some incompetent psychiatrists when they can't get anything else to stick. The last psychiatrist I met within that same clinic, and I mean last, was trying her damednest I know to pin a personality disorder on me after only meeting me just once for about fifteen minutes simply because she refused to accept their ADHD team might have got it wrong.

This was in the face of the behavioural therapist I was sent to afterwards for a number of sessions saying 'Hang on, this really does look like ADHD here'. He knew from meeting me several times I don't really fit the criteria for any personality disorder and certainly not borderline which I have extensive knowledge of myself and that's definitely not me. It's insulting as well to others who do genuinely have borderline personality/ emotional dysregulation disorder for the medical profession to lump it around.

Yip the psych said: it seems you have issues regulating your emotions......
I was really angry as i knew she was picking apart prof Fitzgeralds diagnosis and trying to make her own diagnosis. When I told Dr Domhnaill what she said he immediately said "she is trying to diagnose you with BPD".
I knew it and he confirmed it.

No bother about the long posts as we are here to help eachother navigate the minefield that is trying to get our neurodevelopmental disorder recognised and be treated with the right help and be treated with dignitiy. its hard but hopefully it will get easier for more people as the years go on.
It has had a massive impact on my life - being untreated.
That is why I am fighting so hard, because it is so treatable and people come on in leaps and bounds with the right treatment. Its not fair, I want to do a lot with my life.

I have an appointment today with another HSE psych, thank god its with a different one to the last time. i look forward to discussing my recent assessment with them and will let you know how it goes. Not expecting any miracles but two different experts giving relatively the same diagnosis has to have some effect. lets see

Beffs

Hey everyone. Great thread. Very informative. I saw a lot of myself in the posts where you were talking about the condition and how it manifests itself.

I am in my mid 40's and I was diagnosed with ADHD a year ago. A clinical psychologist did the diagnosis. (Can I say his name?) I presume he is private. I was given his phone number by HAAD Ireland, rang him and made the appointment my self. I did not get a GP referral. I followed none of his guidelines on learning to manage the condition. That was for a variety of reasons....denial, anger, bitterness at all the time I have lost, anger at parents for how they handled me as a child....all kinds of stupid stuff.

Anyway, I am basically back where I started. I still have the same problems with chronic procrastination (hence not following the psychologists guidelines) getting started on tasks and focus and concentration. I am currently job hunting. My ability to sift thru job listings on websites, submit CV's and cover letters etc etc is non existent. I will be penniless and homeless soon, if I don't acquire some coping skills. I have an appointment to talk to the psychologist in the morning, as I try to start the process of re educating myself on what I need to do. Initially, I was very against the thought of taking medication, but I am now willing to do and try whatever the trained professionals think I should do. From reading the HSE horror stories on here, I am a bit worried I won't have access to medication, if that is what is needed to help me get my life back on track.

At my first meeting with the psychologist, he suggested Ritalin as a possibility down the road. He said that my GP would have to be involved in writing the prescription, as he is not an MD. My GP barely knows me. She has only seen me twice, for very flu minor ailments, so she has not been a part of any of this process. I just rang her there, to see what the protocol is that she has to follow, regarding medication. I am awaiting a call back. From reading the HSE horror stories on here, I am a bit worried I won't have access to medication, if that is what is needed to help me get my life back on track. Fingers crossed that won't be the case. I am in Dublin, if that matters.

I'll post again when I have spoken to the GP and the psychologist. I suppose I should have waited until I had updated info on everything. But just making myself concentrate long enough to write all this, is very therapeutic.

Cheers everyone.

cannex

Hi Beffs, welcome.
I can clarify a few things you mentioned about getting back into getting help. If you are going back to your previous psychologist who diagnosed you they can prescribe the medication for you as they are the specialist.

Your GP can print the perscription as long as the psychiatrist has written the prescription, this is then given to your GP and they will usually be fine with printing out a prescription for you once they have the report and the prescription written by the person who diagnosed you, provided they are qualified to do so.

You do not need to deal with the HSE in this regard as long as you are receiving ongoing treatment form the psychiatrist, as they are the only person who can speak to you about your medication.

your GP will not be able to advise you on dosage, side effects, that's the job of the psychiatrsit. Some GP's might have a problem prescribing a controlled medication and this can be at the GP's discretion so make sure your GP knows that you will be recieving ongoing appointments with the psych, that should help.

Dealing with the HSE to receive treatment can be swapped over from private for your ongoing treatment and they can advise you and monitor how you get on with the meds. Only issue is what I've described already in previous posts, waiting and not equipped for ADHD. I'm getting meds on the medical card, on the waiting list to see a hse psychologist but its going on forever.

I'm now on a waiting list to see someone through something called cois cheim, google it, they offer sliding scale psych appointments and they match you with a suitable psych. Only prob of course is the wait............In the process for 2 months and will have to wait another 2 months to see someone, my hse app is some time in December so....

I think taking meds without seeing someone to work on behaviour, thinking, confidence etc feels quite pointless most of the time, I stll have all the same bad habits and thinking patterns. It's also recommended that treatment should not just be meds, it needs to be combined with counselling so that you have the motivation to stick to the therapy and learn new coping skills.

I should mention that if your not on the medical card the medication will be quite expensive. I dont know how much. But if the cost of your meds go over a certain amount every month it's capped. Its still pretty high though. If you dont have a medical card you need to appy for one if your eligible.

One last thing, if you have a choice of drs in the practice, pick a young one!

Shint0

Thanks for letting me know about the update, Beffs. I had already seen you had posted in the Personal Issues forum wondering if there are any ADHD online support forums here.

In some ways I'm a bit hesitant to keep posting in the thread even though I'm very much up for talking about it with people who are similarly affected. If you're a regular poster across Boards you can leave yourself open and feel a bit exposed and vulnerable by laying yourself bare when you want to discuss personal/health related issues in more detail and how it affects you personally in order to benefit from support here in Ireland as an adult. I know from even searching threads here on Boards on ADHD where Cannex was getting extremely frustrated with some posters' attitudes towards ADHD.

With other online health forums which might focus exclusively on a particular health issue or disorder you feel more of a wall of protection around you because everybody is in the same boat. I am signed up to another ADHD online forum which is great but is international so obviously you don't get to focus as much on the Irish context and issues particularly relevant to getting a diagnosis or treatment and support here.

I'm not sure if anybody would be interested in having a private forum perhaps here on Boards where you can discuss more openly the issues affecting you but I'm not quite sure how that could be set up or if it would involve having a private hosted forum although there might be a charge involved it that.

It could also be extended to to those with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as those with Asperger's/on the autism spectrum and dyspraxia etc. as I know other posters here do refer to those disorders or thinking about seeking a diagnosis for similar as an adult.

There's probably little in the way of online support here in Ireland for those disorders also for people who have been diagnosed as adults or suspect they may have the disorder. It could be a catch-all forum with dedicated threads for each of the disorders as well as a general discussion/chat thread for all but exclusively for those affected by the disorders or who recognise themselves as identifying with similar issues and suffer some impairment in their lives because of it.

It's just an idea so might be good to hear other people's thoughts on it or if you think you would feel this thread is sufficient. As I say I don't feel particularly comfortable posting openly even though I recognise that other's may benefit from my thoughts and experiences on the topic.

cannex

Totally understandable. I even feel like I'm revealing too much. What pushes me is the fact that I had no information for the Irish system and I also joined a UK forum. God for moral support but no info on how to get help in Ireland.

I also set up a forum called Adult ADHD Ireland but I couldnt find any Irish people with ADHD until I made this thread.
So....there is a forum already set if up ye want to check it out...its on proboards and it's completely free.
Boards can be made private and only available to members.

It would be great to have ye there

Let me know what ye think.

http://adhdadultireland.boards.net/

Shint0

That sounds good, Cannex. I just opened your link only. Have other people discovered it yet? Would people get automatic access as soon as they register or would their access have to be approved first to avoid any trolls?

cannex

One other person has joined. Automatic member once joined up. Settings can be changed to make sure trolls dont ruin it flagging, spotting or if someone trolls, disabling immediate posts and they will have to be checked first.