dothemo
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 6
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Post by dothemo on Nov 30, 2016 5:20:32 GMT
G'day,
My nickname is Dothemo and I hail from Australia. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 5yo and put on Ritalin when I was 6. I was taken off it abruptly when I was 10yo due to bad side effects and suffered a psychotic episode because they cold turkeyed me. Anyways I was also diagnosed with OCD when I was around 12yo. The OCD diagnosis dominated the help that I got throughout the years and the ADD was forgotten about.
So to cut a long story short, I'm 37yo now and have finally woken up to the fact that my ADD has done the most damage in my life. The OCD has caused the most anxiety and stress so that is what I've focused on. But, the ADD symptoms have caused the most real damage.
I have classic adult ADD symptoms although I'm not always hyperactive. I procrastinate, I have trouble sticking with things (I'm always starting new things), I'm *shocking* with money and diet to name a few. I'm messy, I'm overweight but I'm a qualified electrician but have trouble keeping jobs due to lateness and inconsistent performance. The above has done the most damage.
So here I am, I don't have a clue what to do or where to start. My Psychiatrist doesn't really know a lot about ADD so I'm getting help myself.
Any guidance on what step to take next on the board would be much appreciated :-)
Regards,
Dothemo
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dothemo
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 6
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Post by dothemo on Dec 6, 2016 2:15:03 GMT
Hi, dothemo and welcome to the forum. I wasn't sure from your post whether you still live in Australia or whether you are now resident in the UK. If you are in the UK, then the first thing you would need to do is to see your GP and ask for a referral for an ADHD assessment. What normally happens next is that you would be seen by a Community Psychiatric Nurse and then referred to a general Psychiatrist for assessment to see whether they think you fit the criteria for ADHD. They report back to the GP and he/she will then seek funding for an assessment by an Adult ADHD Specialist if that is deemed appropriate. This happens in most areas of the UK, because most areas don't have a designated Adult ADHD Service. If you are lucky and there is a local Adult ADHD Service, you may be seen by a specialist without having to first be assessed by the CPN and general psych - I don't have experience of that, as there is no designated service in my area, but I have heard of people in other parts of the UK being referred direct to a specialist consultant or nurse practitioner who is qualified to diagnose ADHD. The wait can be fairly long - over a year in some areas. If you are in Australia, then I'm sorry but I haven't a clue what the process is - anyone know? Hi gc7, I live in Australia. I've already been diagnosed as a child and I'm not looking for dexamphetamines, I was on it as a child and reacted badly to it. I'm after other treatment ideas.
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