Talking to a Doctor About Adult ADHD

It’s normal to read about ADHD and think that it sounds like something you know. ADHS symptoms can look different in adults than they do in kids, so many adults don’t get diagnosed for years or even decades. Also, some groups, like women and people of color, have not been diagnosed with it enough in the past.

If you’re an adult and are told you have ADHD, it can feel good, but talking to a doctor about it can be hard to understand and scary. You may not know who to talk to, what to expect during the test, or how to tell your doctor about it.

This blog will help you figure out how to talk to your doctor about ADHD and where to begin. We’ll talk about who to talk to about ADHD, what questions to ask, and how to get a diagnosis.

Highlights

ADHD might not be found for years, but it won’t go away by itself. If any of your symptoms bother you, you should see a doctor and get treatment.

Any doctor, like your therapist or primary care doctor, can help you talk about ADHD.

If your doctor doesn’t know much about ADHD, they can refer you to someone who does, or they can give you treatment options right away.

Learning About ADHD

This is a neurodevelopmental disorder that starts in early childhood when the brain is still developing. Attention, focus, impulse control, and controlling your emotions are some of the brain skills that are affected.

Even though ADHD starts in childhood, a lot of people don’t get the right diagnosis until they are adults. In order to get the right diagnosis and treatment, you should tell your doctor or a mental health provider right away if you think someone might have ADHD based on their symptoms.

Here are some signs of ADHD in adults that you might notice:

• Not being able to concentrate during talks, meetings, or any other task that you find “boring.”
• Forgetting things like appointments, tasks, and where you put them often.
• No matter how much you want to relax, you can’t.
• Having trouble starting things, especially when they seem dull or too much.
• Getting lost in time or not figuring out how long something will take.
• Talking over other people or saying things without thinking them through.
• Having trouble controlling your feelings getting angry or stressed out easily.
• Not able to finish what you begin, even if it’s important to you.
• Changing tasks all the time without finishing any of them.
• Not being able to keep your home, workspace, or schedule in order.

Who to Talk to About ADHD in Adults?

A number of medical professionals can diagnose ADHD, such as

• Family doctors, also known as general practitioners (GPs),
• Doctors of psychology
• Nurses who work as
• Therapists and psychiatrists
• Neurologists (not very common, but it’s possible)
• counselors or therapists with licenses

Just make sure that the provider you pick has experience and knowledge in working with people who have ADHD. As an adult, it can be hard to get a report of ADHD. Even in the medical field, people still don’t understand ADHD very well. In some groups, like women and people of color, it’s way underdiagnosed, while in others, it can be way overdiagnosed. 

Providers who know a lot about ADHD can also help you find the best treatment plan for your needs. Some of them might know more about the different kinds of treatment and the pros and cons of each.

The most important thing is that your provider makes you feel safe and at ease. They should make you feel safe enough that you can tell them everything about your symptoms and experiences, even if you’re not in therapy.

If you’ve already been told by another doctor that you have ADHD, you should still tell your primary care doctor so that they can get a better picture of your overall health.

Getting Ready for Your Visit to the Doctor

There are some things you can do to get ready for your first appointment after you’ve made it. You don’t have to do these things before your session, but they can help your provider understand what’s going on better and make it more likely that you’ll get the right diagnosis and be able to start treatment faster.

1. Get your medical records together. There should be a list of both your current symptoms and your mental and physical health history from the past. Keeping a record of your symptoms for a few weeks before your session might help you and your provider figure out what worsens them. If you can, it’s also helpful to find out about the medical history of your family. For example, has anyone in your family been with ADHD?
2. Get ready with questions and concerns. Your provider will ask you questions during your first session, but you can also ask about the diagnosis and treatment. It might help to write these questions down ahead of time so you don’t forget them. Here are some common questions that will help you when you talk to your doctor.
3. Getting this info alone can be tough, so ask friends or family for help. For those close to you who you feel comfortable telling, ask them to write down what they think about your symptoms. This can give your doctor a better idea of how your ADHD might be affecting your life. You might also be able to bring a friend or family member to your session, if that helps you feel better.

In what ways do doctors check for ADHD?

Most of the time, doctors check for ADHD in several ways, such as by talking to you about your symptoms during a verbal interview, clinical observation (watching you during the session), and, especially for kids, by looking at symptoms in different places, like school. For instance, a provider might ask a child’s teacher to talk about what they’ve seen the child do.

Since there isn’t a single, widely accepted clinical tool or instrument used to measure ADHD, the questions your provider asks may be a little different from one time to the next. Here are some common questions your provider might ask:

• When did these symptoms start to show up for you?
• What kinds of tasks are the hardest for you to do at home, at school, or at work?
• How do you keep track of your daily tasks and time?
• Do you lose things like your keys, phone, or important papers all the time?
• Do you find it challenging to pay attention in meetings or conversations?
• What happens when you try to calm down or sit still? Do you feel antsy or tense?
• How do you feel in places that are too busy or stimulating, like stores that are too crowded or loud?
• Do these symptoms make it hard to work, interact, or live?
• Does someone in your family have ADHD or a learning difference?
• Have you ever been told you had another mental illness, like depression or anxiety?

ADHD experts can use your answers and observations to determine if you have ADHD or if your symptoms indicate something else. In the United States, they will most likely compare your symptoms and what they see with the criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). During your appointment, you can ask for an ADHD test. However, the results will only be one part of the diagnosis.

Usually, it takes between one and three hours to get enough information to make a correct diagnosis. If your doctor diagnoses you quickly, they may be hurrying and lacking information.

How to Talk to Your Doctor Effectively: Some Tips

You might feel awkward talking to your doctor about ADHD, depending on how well you get along with them. It can be difficult to figure out the right time to mention it. If you think you have ADHD, see your doctor ASAP. If you don’t treat your ADHD, it won’t go away, and you deserve to get help.

Here are some tips to help you discuss adult ADHD with your doctor:

• Even if it makes you feel awful, be honest and clear about what you’re having trouble with.
• If you’re nervous, write down what you want to say ahead of time and look at your notes during the appointment.
• When discussing ADHD with your doctor, mention how long you’ve had symptoms, not just the last few months.
• You can show how ADHD shows up for you by using examples from your life. Say something like, “I forget work meetings a lot, even when they’re on my calendar,” instead of “I forget things.”
• Tell them what you’ve tried to manage things (like planners, reminders, etc.) and how well they worked.
• Tell your doctor right away if you think you might have ADHD. You could say, “I think I have ADHD, and I’d like to be evaluated.”
• Tell your doctor that you have ADHD even if they already know you have it. This will help them get a better picture of your overall health.
• If your doctor doesn’t know much about ADHD in adults, ask them to send you to a specialist.

Things You Should Ask Your Doctor

If you have ADHD, here are some things to discuss with your doctor. In the first diagnostic meeting, you can ask these questions:

• How do you find out if someone has ADHD?
• How can you tell if my symptoms are caused by ADHD or something else?
• Do you know how to diagnose ADHD in adults?
• What kinds of treatments do you think someone like me should get?
• Are the stimulant drugs I’m taking what’s safe and right for me?
• What are some bad effects of common ADHD drugs like Adderall?
• Could you help me find a therapist or ADHD coach?
• Can you help me with this issue, or should I see a psychiatrist about my ADHD?
• What changes to my lifestyle could help my treatment?
• What can I do if I don’t want to take medicine?

Choices for Treatment

Now that you know you have ADHD, what should you do? You can now talk to your doctor about how to treat your ADHD.

If they think that’s the best thing for you, some providers, like your primary care doctor, may write you an immediate prescription for ADHD medication. Furthermore, they might send you to get other kinds of help, like therapy or ADHD coaching. You and your doctor should discuss your treatment options and make the best choices for you.

Some of the best ways to treat and manage ADHD are the ones below:

• Medications that stimulate the brain, such as Adderall, Ritalin, or Vyvanse, are usually the first choice for treatment. To make you more focused and less impulsive, they raise levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain.
• Medicines that don’t contain stimulants: Atomoxetine or guanfacine may help people who have trouble handling stimulants. There aren’t as many chances of abusing these medications, such as Atomoxetine or guanfacine, but it might take longer for them to work compared to stimulant medications.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one type of therapy that can help you improve your executive functioning skills and deal with the emotional effects of ADHD. Therapy can also help if you have more than one problem, like depression.
• Changes in lifestyle, such as getting regular exercise, sleeping at the same time every night, and eating well, can make a big difference in ADHD symptoms.
• A coach for ADHD can help you improve skills like staying organized, making plans, and staying on track with your daily goals.

With ADHD and telemedicine

Telemedicine is another easy and useful choice for people with ADHD who want to see a doctor. There is evidence that telehealth services may be useful for people with ADHD[5]. You might be able to set up a time to talk with your primary care provider online. Also, there are websites like MEDvidi that let you talk to a doctor and get a more complete evaluation and treatment for ADHD online.

If you don’t live near any ADHD specialists, seeing a doctor online might be the best option for you. However, it’s important to remember that some online professionals might not have the right skills to treat ADHD properly. Make sure you find out more about their credentials and experience.

What to Do

You don’t need to know everything about ADHD before you talk to your doctor about it. You just need to start the conversation. You shouldn’t be afraid to bring up the possibility that you might have ADHD, even if you’re not sure for sure. A provider who knows about ADHD can help you get the help you need and guide you through the evaluation process.

Mental Root’s healthcare professionals are trained to make online treatment plans for ADHD. They will give you the kind of compassionate, person-centered care that you deserve. If you sign up, you can get an online appointment in 24 hours.

FAQs

Is it hard to make an ADHD diagnosis?

Although there are numerous standardized criteria, there isn't a single conclusive test. In order to help a mental health professional make an accurate diagnosis, you might be given questionnaires and put through other tests if you ask your doctor if you have ADHD. During a comprehensive evaluation, skilled healthcare professionals can differentiate between co-occurring conditions and ADHD, even though symptoms may occasionally overlap.

What is ADHD commonly mistaken for in adults?

The symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders may resemble those of ADHD in adults. For instance, there are several conditions that can be responsible for restlessness, impulsivity, and distractibility. It may take some time to correctly diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it is possible to recognize its distinctive features.

What is the treatment for adults with ADHD?

Adults with ADHD typically need a mix of treatment approaches. Some of these could include counseling, behavioral therapies, drugs, and different self-help methods. Both stimulant and non-stimulant drugs can help control symptoms, and therapy and counseling can help people learn healthy coping mechanisms. Adapting one's lifestyle to the difficulties presented by symptoms of ADHD can significantly improve one's quality of life.

What happens if ADHD remains untreated?

Untreated ADHD can lead to difficulties in a variety of spheres of life, including relationships, employment, and emotional stability. ADHD that is ignored increases the risk of mental health issues and can result in subpar performance in school and the workplace. Because a mental health professional can validate your experiences, offer treatment recommendations, and help you better understand your symptoms, it is crucial that you seek professional assistance.

Can you live with ADHD without medication?

Non-pharmacological approaches like therapy, coping mechanisms, lifestyle modifications, and regimented routines can help people manage ADHD. These methods can successfully lessen symptoms and enhance general well-being. The choice of treatment is based on the needs and preferences of the individual; if your symptoms are intolerable, you may want to talk to a doctor about starting ADHD medication.

Can I ask my doctor for ADHD medicine?

Yes, you can talk to your doctor about ADHD medicine because it is one of the most common ways to treat the disorder. If they think it's the right thing for you to do, some medical providers can give you medicine, even online prescriptions.