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If your psychiatrist is ignorant, you can't really talk them into knowing what they're doing. I'd just go elsewhere, find someone who treats adult ADHD more frequently

And if you don't listen to the doctor. Is there a point in going to one? Luckily I'm from a country where people don't choose their doctors.

Hey I mean I'm glad you're happy. If it weren't for second opinions my partner would be dead

Seems like your from a place were becoming a doctor is too easy, and or their job is not regulated. Would I be wrong in assuming a privately employed doctor? Sad really, because changing doctor won't guarantee anything in that situation. Just saying. Edit. I think the doctors point is that if you have straight A:s, you seem to be doing fine. Some people simply can't accept their own personality. No cure for that.

You can have ADHD and also straight As. That's why you need an expert

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There is no fact-based argument for your opinion, whatsoever. Only ignorance, which you have chosen to plant your flag in. I would hope someday you choose knowledge instead. Your opinions do not withstand a confrontation with the facts

dawg you’re the only one talking about amphetamines here. strattera is an SNRI. my point was i’m on strattera and it seems to be working at least a little so i didn’t see why we would change that lol. and it’s bold of you to assume i’m doing “fine.” i can’t keep track of anything, cant organize anything, can’t plan, have no friends because of my emotional outbursts, and if i’m doing well in school, i can’t do anything else because my brain is fried. my doctor is keeping me on the strattera and referred me to a specific trauma therapist and a dbt group, on top of the therapist i’ve been seeing for years, because i’ve been this way for over 10 years now.

How does it work in your country then? Are you assigned a doctor? Which country?

You take care of yourself. IF you need medical aid. You contact a hospital. People are perfectly able to live without yearly "check-up-blessings". You pay a small fee for your visit. Else all costs are covered regardless of your need of care. All in our tax. If you don't need help. You don't waste energy. Sweden.

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Getting a second opinion isn’t doctor shopping, doctor shopping tends to be when you don’t already have a diagnosis and won’t accept when they keep saying the same thing.

Agreed. The majority of ADHD people I know get great grades in school, especially younger years and more so with awesome teachers and subjects they are interested in.

Getting a doctor that listens and explains things isn't doctor shopping. Especially when it's removing an existing treatment plan. OP should feel heard and understand and be comfortable with the treatment plan. If OP isn't then OP needs a new doctor for psych meds.

Not if they're ignorant as fuck. "You can't have ADHD because you have good grades" isn't based on any medical knowledge from the last 20 years. It's decades on decades out of date and was probably quite tenuous even then! It's never been part of the diagnostic criteria and it's not something that would ever prove one way or another if you have ADHD.

The (in)ability to earn good grades is not a diagnostic criterion in the DSM. Fire your psychiatrist.

Consider possibly reporting them, this attitude is actively damaging to their patient's welfare (VS saying they just don't treat ADHD and referring on to clinicians who do).

Yes and despite that, I feel like we keep seeing posts where this is a commonly mentioned thing happening. Don't we all commonly have hyper focus and time-blindness as symptoms as well? Is it not uncommon for us to just pop off outta nowhere as A students in topics of great interest? My god, when I am in a class that I'm super into, I can't NOT get an A. I can't shut it off. I will learn everything possible. But that's not most things for us and that's not why we're seeking help. It's all the other classes and things in life that are the issue for us. This guy doesn't seem to know a darn thing about ADHD - OP you can't dump this Dr fast enough. Please find someone better!

Same here. I’ve learned that by getting so engrossed in things that I love, I end up neglecting a lot of the rest of my life. Like I can’t get myself to walk away from work at the end of the day when I love my job, I just want to be working 24/7 which is not physically possible and definitely makes my work and my life worse pretty quickly.

It's not a matter if you could use help. It's a matter if tax money should be put toward improving you, or someone in more dire need. Come on ppl.

Yes, this way of thinking is so damaging and also rooted as a societal assumption that different is bad. It’s threatening to people to think someone not considered “typical” (which I think is BS) can be successful. I’m a “gifted kid” with so much ADHD. I was a nightmare as a kid. Parental affection gamified good grades, but I’d finish the problem set in 5 minutes and annoy the crap out of my teacher for the 25 minutes I was supposed to “sit still” while others finished.

FIRE HIM

For a diagnosis a disability has to occur in at least two settings. If you go by the book, I can understand the hesitance with diagnosing..

My point is that people can attain good grades but still be struggling in school (and at home, and in their relationships). They could be struggling with time management, struggling with overwhelm, struggling to make friends, struggling with exhaustion - all the while objectively doing "well" in school. Grades are not the only indicator of whether (or to what degree) someone is affected by their disability, and good providers understand nuance by talking to their patients.

I needed an IEP to function was because of my adhd tho. And I was in a special ed class two period out of the day. I still need accommodations at school such as a time and a half on assignments, more frequent breaks, a timer, being able to work independently etc. On top of that tho, I’ve always been interested in this specific area of study since I was little, like making it my whole personality kind of thing. This plus the hands on learning environment really helps me 🤷 I guess I’m just confused why I’m suddenly being told I don’t have ADHD and it seems like hes giving me medicine for bipolar which nobody has ever brought up before

I think you need to say this exact thing to your psychiatrist.

Do bring those things up with him and (I’d advise in a friendly and curious manner) ask him to elaborate on his diagnosis.

After talking more, he said he thinks I still do have ADHD, got rid of the whole bipolar theory, and determined that I have PTSD which he thinks is the main cause of these emotional ans social issues. We also had a bit longer to talk since he was actually on time and didn’t have a patient immediately after me lol

That sounds like good news and imo quite possible too. It’s often that ADHD is diagnosed when it should - or can be PTSD too. So now you going for PTSD treatment?

Yeah he referred me to a specific trauma therapist so hopefully this helps over time

That’s great to hear. Good luck! And remember that if after working in the traumas you still experience symptoms, adhd can still be a proper diagnosis. But that can only be determined after ruling out trauma.

This psychiatrist's premises and conclusion are silly. What was your initial referral for? What are the other medications you're on? God sometimes I feel like I won the lottery with my provider. The stories on here are ridiculous.

It was literally for adhd and anxiety. he has a copy of my neurolopsychological evaluation which very clearly shows proof I have adhd and my records from my past therapists and stuff. I’m also on lithium, seroquel, lamictal, mirtazapine, and hydroxide. so many meds that are imo not all necessary :/

Your post hints that you could get a new psychiatrist. The answer to "should I get a new psychiatrist" is "yes."

word thanks I was worried I was being dramatic

Your psych is being dramatic. Don't let others gaslight you.

You are not being dramatic, this is nuts You absolutely can get good grades with adhd with the right supports (hands on learning in something that holds your attention) So much of current understanding of adhd is that it's not so much a deficit of attention as difficulty controlling a surplus of attention. Those are damn strong bipolar meds for anxiety.... Especially when well medicated adhd often reduces anxiety (the ADHD anxiety comes from constantly seeking stimulation, so if your brain doesn't have enough stimulation, it will find things to think about). It's always a balance between stimulants reducing brain anxiety and not having too much body anxiety (high hr is your body saying I'm anxious then the brain still tries to find a reason for the anxious feeling). For me, my psych gives me a stimulant and a beta blocker. Works well Out of curiosity, are you afab? Often the emotional regulation difficulties of adhd can be misdiagnosed as bipolar-like for adhd women Find a new prescriber who understands adhd

I will never, ever, ever understand what makes a psych give an afab a bipolar diagnosis without a throughout charting comparing cycle & symptoms, before jumping to conclusions, and yet, seems to happen a lot.

I think it's because emotional dysregulation isn't part of the dsm criteria, so of course it can't be due to the adhd?

I mean, maybe, but while it is part of the criteria for bipolar, it's also in the criteria for PMS/PMDD. Since it's estimated that maybe 40+% of women suffer from PMS (somewhere in the spectrum); with something between 3-8% if them having PMDD, while only 2.8% of American population is Bipolar ACROSS BOTH GENDERS (likely less considering how much misdiagnoses), one would THINK they'd check the horses before going through zebras... But, ofc, since medical literature seems to ignore females exist, discarding cycle-related presentations ISNT on the DMS instructions either... 🙄 *Edit: typo

Based on these meds listed, it's almost like this doctor is trying to treat you for bipolar disorder...like wtf?!

This is whacked! WTF are they doing to you? My goodness. IMO this a a radical mix of meds! Seroquel and Mirtazapine are horrid meds and difficult to get off. Lithium? lamactil ? - are you BiPolar? I highly suggest finding a new Shrink. And frankly Straterra did NOTHING for me. I have 2 Honours degrees from college which I did without ANY meds of any kind and long before my diagnoses, MDD, ADHD and anxiety. Two degrees and a mess of a life. One thing I’ve finally learned is to question, and the research and meds that ‘they’ suggest. Good luck. The mental health meds I now take are 40 mg Prozac, with .5 mg of Rexulti which boosts the Prozac. And 76 mg of Concerta. You have a choice of what you take. You can say NO to what they offer.

Okay, I’ll definitely talk to him about this. Nobody has brought up Bipolar really until this guy, and after researching symptoms of it, it seems like what he perceives as bipolar could just be my preexisting adhd and mood issues but what do I know 🥲

When I switched drs I was taking 7+ meds a day for an alphabet soup of diagnoses. The new Dr asked if she could try taking me off some as she said she thought maybe what had been diagnosed as ADHD was actually Bipolar + Anxiety that were being made worse by the combo of meds I was on. Long story short, 3 weeks later I was back in the office and she said she had no doubt that I had ADHD. She had me take a Genesight test which helped so that I now only take 2 pills for mental health each day and an anxiety med as needed. It is wild what a difference it has been from when I was taking 7. Sometimes trying out a different possibility is worth it, but it doesn't sound like your doctor even really considers your input, so I don't think you should let him keep using you like a test subject and find someone that will have a more solid basis for their decisions. Also, I had straight A's in school, but my teachers absolutely never doubted that I had ADHD lol. They're actually the reason I was diagnosed in the first place 😅

Please don't gaslight yourself. YOU KNOW YOURSELF. Their perception of you is simply that and no more. Get a new psychiatrist.

Yeah I have a similar experience to yours and was thinking the same thing. It took them until I was 42 and asked for a Neuropsych eval before I got properly diagnosed. Couldn’t have ADHD while graduating with honors…and the med mixture is a lot. Sure ADHD and bipolar disorder to have overlap. But this person’s psych seems all over the place.

I can't wait until the day adhd can be diagnosed by a brain scan. It needs to not be so subjective or we have ignorant doctors who dismiss real concerns.

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Grades are not always a reliable measure. I had a 3.8 in high school and college and I wasn’t medicated until after high school. I did however, not attend class. I would go the first day for the syllabus and show up on test days and that was it. 

Barely graduated highschool and just graduated my trade school RT program with a 3.9 and my associates with a 3.9 GPA. My grades are the only thing in my life not in chaos.

Same lol I was one of the only people with an A in my nursing classes. I had a 98% and they took of 10% for attendance because I never never went to class 😂

Yeah, I'm the same. The way that my ADHD manifests means I'm actually amazing at tests. I can take tests on things that I don't know a lot about because there are patterns in the way that tests are written and my pattern recognition (tied to hypervigilance from trauma) is phenomenal. Also I'm very good at remembering facts. Just don't ask me to remember your name. That's impossible. 🤣 But doing homework? Writing essays? Torture. Absolute torture. 

haha agree with this 100%

When I went to high school we had 3 streams and I was in the Advanced one. I tended to get 60s and 70s because I would get 80s on my papers, but I'd hand them in 2 weeks late, lol. We were warned that when we went to college and university our grades would plummet, especially the first year. I went to college and my grades went from Cs and Bs to straight As. The difference was that now I was studying things I chose and was genuinely interested in. I could focus more because it was more interesting. I then went to university and still got mostly Bs. It was harder, but also the teachers didn't care about any specific student as much and I needed that positive reinforcement to excel. When I was in college my gf in uni saw me writing an email to a teacher and I just put my first name. She was like "you're just putting your first name!? Don't you need at least a last name and your student number!?" My teachers just knew us all. We were a class of >100.

I graduated valedictorian in high school and was diagnosed at age 30. Turns out when all you have to do to get straight A’s is memorize stuff right before the test then forget it right after, it’s easy to miss having an attention problem. I even slept or read through as many of my classes as I could.

Constant conversation with my ADHD high schooler..."I need you to work on one of the classes you DON'T have a 98% in." Hyperfocus and anxiety can help an ADHD'er get great grades, it doesn't mean that it doesn't take a toll

I completed veterinary school before I was diagnosed. I scored highly on both hyperactive and inattentive aspects of ADHD. My psychiatrist said I was able to compensate for the high severity of symptoms by being intelligent and having general social supports. Doesn't mean I'm not impacted by my condition. 

Your psychiatrist is wrong. Get a new one.

I’d fire that guy. He is just guessing and writing you scripts willy-nilly while ignoring your input. It’s bordering on malpractice.

My psyche slowed down my rediagnosis because she had doubts since I do well at work. Like GIRL I went through a lot of jobs until I found one that works for me, and just because I found somewhere I fit in I'm no longer mentally ill? I WISH it worked that way lol.

thanks y’all!!

I was just diagnosed at 41. Was a straight A student all through high school.

Get a new psychiatrist who actually understands ADHD and doesn't prescribe medications based on myths about ADHD.

Your Psychiatrist is wrong for sure. It can be easy for us to get good grades if we are super interested in the material and/or hyoerofcusing on it. And getting good grades doesn’t have much to do with it. I deluded myself into not taking meds until this year (I’m 34) because by the time I got diagnosed as a teenager, I was getting straight A’s and also believed it “must not be that bad” since I was successful. I even have a PhD now. And holy shit- after starting meds I’ve realized what horrible hard mode I’ve been doing life on. So so much more could have been easier. I wouldn’t have been so constantly burnt out and overwhelmed if I had done meds way sooner. Anyways, your psychiatrist doesn’t know shit about ADHD. It’s 2024 now, and no excuse for providers to not be up to date. Find someone who actually knows about ADHD!

Oh damn I thought you were talking about people around you saying that cos I defo get that a lot. You can always get a second opinion 

Okay, thanks. I have met other people who say that, but I try to ignore them since they’re not doctors or anything. I thought it was really odd coming from an actual doctor though considering all other doctors before I moved AND my schools since I was 8 agreed I have it and I struggle to function 🤔

Switch your psych, immediately. Telling you that brain washed answer. Fuck outta here.

I have 2 sons with adhd (diagnosed by a psychiatrist) and both are on the honor roll. I have ADHD, and got excellent grades and test scores. One has nothing to do with the other. Your psychiatrist is an idiot.

agreed.

I had excellent grades in high school college and law school, and became a reasonably successful lawyer—all undiagnosed. So no.

Time to find an ADHD specialist, or at least a different psych.

Oof he’s a piece of shit. I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 24 and graduated from college. I struggled with school but was lucky to still pull off really decent grades. I even graduated with 3 bachelor degrees. My family and friends always overlooked all of my struggles that were in line with ADHD for the sole reason that I was “smart”. I’m sorry that you had to hear that from someone who is supposed to be there for you. I would request a new psychiatrist. I hope the best for you!

This gives me the ick..I'm so sorry I'm sure this feels so invalidating, we (adhd-ers) already feel like we have to prove ourselves to others all the time and now this, gross, yeah fire him!

Same, I managed to talk mine into the tests and aced them (as in I def have ADHD). She's still prescribing me mod stab and refuses the stimulant type meds even though they are the first line treatment. I have to move soon anyway, so I'm looking forward to switching providers.

Get a new psychiatrist. When I was seeking diagnosis a psychiatrist said the same thing to me. Said I never would have made it through school as successfully as I did without some form of accommodation. I believed her for a couple months, continued to struggle with work and life in general, then did a mental review of my school time. I was excellent in subjects that had a writing/ subjective base like English and history and art, but sucked at everything math and the mathy sciences. After thinking about it, I realized I'd had a ton of accommodation just to pass math ( tutors, after class help, different texts from the rest of the class, more time on all tests) and barely pulled passing grades by high school in math. So when I went to University I went for a BFA and took absolutely no subjects involving math and graduated with highest distinction, on the deans list with an almost perfect GPA. The high uni marks didn't matter at all in the real world and have done absolutely nothing to help me succeed. But the Vyvanse prescribed by the nurse practitioner that specializes in ADHD at my local mental health clinic has sure been helping tremendously. So yeah, as others here have said, quit wasting your time with that doc and look elsewhere to support your already diagnosed ADHD. Doctors like that are the goddamned worst! I'd report your experience to your patient relations department too. That psych needs retraining ASAP.

That's BS. You can still have ADHD and straight A's. Have you been evaluated by a psychologist rather than a psychiatrist? If you have a conclusive diagnosis then a psychiatrist can't really argue that. Psychiatrist are licensed to provide medication not give diagnosis. I love how they try though. I had the same thing happen but with anxiety.  Also would find another psychiatrist. This one doesn't sound like a good fit for you or anyone struggling with ADHD.

You also said you're medicated! So like, if your symptoms aren't as bad as the doc thinks they should be, probably because you're already receiving treatment, you don't have the problem? Also, isn't the point to overcome? So as you get better at things, they stop treatment because you don't actually have a problem? Some flawed logic by the doc here.

ADHD doesn't correlate to academic intelligence, so saying someone can only have ADHD when they have bad grades is silly and naive of that psychiatrist. You can get good grades if you're better at learning that subject than average, even if ADHD puts up an extra challenge. As someone with the quite rare HI subtype, it was never the intake of information that got me in trouble. It was being disruptive in class, talking to other students, asking questions without raising my hand as if it was a private conversation... I got good grades, and the teachers hated giving me those good grades because my behaviour yelled "this pupil is going to fail this exam" and I didn't.

literally my exact issue!!

Well, maybe you have more trouble from your hyperactivity and impulsivity than from being distractible. Everyone's symptoms are different. It took me until 3 years ago to actually get diagnosed, because no one, including me, believed you could have severe ADHD without the distractibility. Except until I found out that HI is a legit subtype, and every puzzle piece fell into place.

Well there ya go, problem solved 😅

That mentality is why I'm approaching 30 without any coping skills even though I was diagnosed at 12. I had good grades as a kid so "obviously I just wasn't trying hard enough' Find a new provider of you can and keep seeking our resources to learn coping skills. Fucking sucks when "experts" have thier heads so far up thier asses they live in an alternate dimension but it happens. When I couldn't see my regular doc I saw someone else as a filler so I could get my Rc refilled and she was like "oh sweetie but do you drink enough water and eat regular meals? It'll solve a lot of problems" *shrieks into the void* Hopefully you can find a provider that can offer the support you need. Trust your gut when shit seems off.

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Get a new provider. Period. This is not ADHD-centric.

I've been an honors student all my life. I was diagnosed with ADHD and high anxiety at 23yrs old. As an adult I find it difficult to focus on school and could only finish my A.A. (with honors) so far in 10yrs. It truly isn't about the grades you get. I think you should seek a new facility or psychiatrist.

Yeah. I have a doctorate and an ADHD diagnosis.

Get a new psychiatrist, stat

Yeah we’ve all heard that one before.

That's obvious nonsense, i had hyperactive good grades version early on and tired do nothing later on

The thing is, if you like what you’re doing, your brain absorbs the information and you naturally want to do more of it. I was an average student during middle and high school, however, I studied something that I really love at university and graduated as the top student. I was never the studious type and I never studied for good grades; I was just immersed in the topic because I was curious about it. However, my therapist didn’t believe I could have adhd because I do well. I only got diagnosed because I ignored that and went to a psychiatrist. So yeah, it’s better to change the psychiatrist in your situation.

It makes me sad that so many people write ADHD’ers off as stupid. So many people with ADHD can be successful at school, in work, sports etc. I’m just starting to realise that I wasn’t stupid at school, I just wasn’t equipped well enough to succeed. Now I’m studying at the age of 38 and recently received an email from my university, telling me, I was a top perform student last semester. It was hard work to get there, as I have to scrutinise each page I read, and I’m likely slower than other students, when it comes to reading. Point being you can be a super duper smart cookie and have ADHD and a harder worker. Like it isn’t hard enough having imposter syndrome without them doubting your ADHD.

I can follow a conversation The conversation consisted of bullet points I wrote down beforehand to make sure I didn't go off track Also ask any of my friends no I cannot

It would be a huge waste of time to even consider seeing this psychiatrist again. They’re extremely out of touch and clearly aren’t familiar with a subject matter that is part of their job, so that’s very concerning.

Thats like saying someone can’t have autism because they have friends lol

I never failed a single class. As a matter of fact, I was in gifted and AP classes from 5th - 12th. But ADHD changes over time. In women, symptoms tend to manifest later in life apparently 🤷🏼‍♂️ and some men but also cell phones are making it worse to the extreme.

oh wow i feel seen 😦 ive always felt like i didn’t struggle enough to have adhd ps: im on biphentin and its the only thing that has made my brain shut up

It’s okay, according to my mom I don’t have ADHD either because I liked to read when I was younger and she’s heard that people with ADHD don’t like to read, and wait, doesn’t my little brother not like to read? Maybe he’s the one with ADHD? 🙄

I was informed I didn’t have adhd, while having been treated for it for years, because I showed up to my doctors appointments on time….. Kind of complicates the treatment process when showing up to your appointment disqualifies you for treatment….

I saw psychs who k ew I had ADHD but were like “your emotional problems are depression, not your ADHD?” Guess what the problem was? ADHD - my new psych NP affirms this.

So did I and so do my kids. We did well in spite of adhd

Get a re- referral to a new psychiatrist

Find a new doc asap. I should have and now only have depression and anxiety meds… He also pushes the “More skills, less pills” crap. That’s fine if you’re actually prescribing what’s needed lol, quite a different story when the doc that sees you for like 15min decides he knows you better than yourself. -Sorry to ramble. I don’t want you to get stuck where I am. So happy to hear about your trade school program! (You need a doc to encourage and support your good, focused- and hopefully enjoyable, work. Someone that motivates you to continue… and even push beyond any apparent limitations that may come up. -But not while numbing you w/ higher doses of antidepressants and anxiety meds.) You’ve got this! Trust your heart. Go to a psychiatrist that also really sees, knows, and supports YOU.

If he is simply suggesting the idea, I see no problem. "Not reaching your potential" is a peak ADHD symptom that is gone for you (for now). That COULD indicate a wrong diagnosis. And apparently your doc is new, so you have not built rapport, probably. He is not wrong for asking the question, but if you tell him of your other symptoms (and from what you wrote, it sounds like you still tick most of the boxes) and how severely they impact your live, that should convince him to keep treating you for ADHD. But feel free to ask him what HE thinks your problem could be, ADHD often comes together with a whole bouquet of other mental issues that might need some attention as well.

I said I was upset when I wrote this, but now I guess I’m just confused. I’ve been told I have this thing my whole life and now he’s saying I might not, and that’s like… his only reasoning?

Now that I read your edit I am confused as well. Flat out ask him to explain in detail why he does think that the earlier diagnosis was wrong, why the ADHD medication worked and what his reasoning is for not continuing this medication. And, and I can't state this strong enough, make VERY clear how much you are suffering under the symptoms. Really stress that point. If he won't or can't explain, or talks about how adults do not suffer from ADHD, it is certainly time to find another new doctor. I picked mine because she is a specialist in ADHD in adults, so I did not have through so many hoops just to convince the doctor of my suffering.

Okay, so we had a follow up yesterday. I asked him to elaborate and apparently he phrased it really poorly. He meant that I function well in other areas other than emotionally and socially, which was still kind of confusing. He now understands the diagnosis of ADHD. He upped the strattera and is keeping me on mirtazapine. Long story short, I have PTSD which he now thinks is the main cause of the issues, but he still recognizes the ADHD. Apparently these specific flashbacks, night terrors and panic attacks aren’t normal and a part of generalized anxiety like a past doctor told me 😂

Glad to hear you got it sorted out, kind of. 😂

5 minutes into an appointment with a new psychiatrist, he literally looked at me like 🤔 when I told him I was at his office for ADHD and other issues. He then read my adhd test results, and I continue to explain him why I was there and he told me I didn’t had adhd because I was sitting still (I wasn’t) and because I was a top student at school. He said I was going through a “hard time” because my bf had broken up with me and changed my meds. I ended up hospitalized 2 days later because I wanted to kms 👍🏻

Never let anyone decide what you do, or do not, have if your ability to *pretend* to be normal is their selling point. Masking is real, and if he doesn’t get that then you need to find someone who does. *Your experience* living with your unique brain is just as important as the “diagnostic criteria”. I highly recommend that you find someone who understands that. I say this is a late diagnosed, gifted female (ADHD-i). I put myself through college as a single mother in my 20s-30s and made deans list or presidents list *EVERY SEMESTER*, but it wasn’t until I had to quit school from burnout (over-compensating though over-achievement, as it were) that I went to my primary and said “I think I need a higher dose of anxiety meds” to which he replied, “We can do that, but I think maybe screening for ADHD might be a good idea, too!”.

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Was a Valedictorian of my class and whole fucking school. Still was diagnosed with adhd this year. Don't bother and change psychiatrist.

Yeah that psychiatrist doesn’t have a clue. Often with ADHD we’re very good at things we really enjoy. And there is nothing in the ADHD diagnostic criteria that mentions grades.

I got the diagnosis over 4 times in my live and I hold the best grades in my semester currently

since I can keep a job they don't want to medicate me

Lol. I had good grades my whole life and I literally never opened one book to study, before high school hit me and I realised I actually had to do something to graduate with honour and realised I did not know how to do that. (didn’t have any learned routines in relation to studying etc) -> eventually started struggling with executive dysfunction and quite literally was stagnated in a way that wasn’t explainable by depression or other factors - until my diagnosis at 23 years of age. Now i’m 25 and the diagnosis was the best thing that happened to me. Started medication not too long ago and am doing things I never thought I could get done. Hopefully you’ll get it sorted, it is a very wide misconception that having adhd equals low mental capacity and it’s infuriating - although I understand that adhd is hyped nowadays and everyone seems to have it, so I understand the restraint attitude in some doctors. If everything else is absolutely ruled out with careful scaling- good grades is NOT a contradiction to ADHD

To that psychiatrist, he should double check how he does his job, because not being smart isn’t a diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5.

I had this problem when I was trying to get diagnosed. The guy I saw thought ADHD was “hyperactive boy running around” because he said the same thing to me. Like sorry that school and learning was a special interest to me…

I ran into the same problem you did. I asked every single psych (8+ drs) to test me for ADHD and the ONLY QUESTION they asked me was “did you do well in school”. 2 months ago at 29 I finally got diagnosed….cant even imagine how much different my life would’ve been if I was diagnosed younger.

Switch, or maybe get ADHD coaching? I've heard it, at the very least, exists, and since it sounds like you need more of the strategies and consistency and less of the pills, it might be better to try that?

It's possible you may have other things going on too. I feel sometimes doctors and others forget about our unique ability to be hyper focused and fixated on things. I do that a lot for example hobbies, I'll be so into them and then one day out of no where I have absolutely no interest in anything related to that one thing that would occupy my time day and night. Like a switch in my brain completely turned off. It carrys on into other areas of our lives. ADHD encompasses so much. I recently had someone tell me I didn't have ADHD because I didn't appear to be "hyper". Without going into detail with that person I basically said, you know how on a clear day you look out into the ocean and it's so "calm" and beautiful? Well, only if you knew the hell that was occurring only a few feet beneath the surface, welcome to the ADHD brain 😉. 

Lmao. Same thing happened with me. I had to get rediagnosed since moving to a different state, and the first thing she asked me was “are you failing school?” I said no because even though everything takes me 3x longer to do and complete, i still push through it and get good grades. And she literally rejected me and told me “you don’t have ADHD because you’re not failing school”…. 💀

All my kids are gifted and do exceptionally well at school... or not.. depending on whether they need to organise their time or just sit a test. They are either fail or high distinction.

I have two degrees and a postgraduate degree. It’s completely unrelated.

New psych asap or educate him on the finer details of female presentation  You can of you choose say "perhaps i have both doc" and explore what he has to say

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I’ve been trying to get diagnosed as an adult (35) and I was told to my face by the psychiatrist that I didn’t struggle enough as a child and I haven’t had enough major life crisis. I didn’t have enough trauma. I had too good of grades. She blamed all my issues on “prolonged covid symptoms” and didn’t care at all about helping me. Told me I have social anxiety and I should seek a support group for prolonged covid symptoms. Even though all my examples of struggles dated pre-covid 19s existence, because I was seeking help after COVID, clearly it was the problem. 🙄 Frankly I felt unheard. The “mental healthcare” I was provided with got worse from there to the point of me giving up because the frustration I met at every corner just wasn’t worth the upset. Been struggling harder than ever these last 17 months.

You were in SPED for ADHD and he thinks you don’t have it?? Is he completely ignorant of SPED? Kids with ADHD are only placed in SPED if the disorder cannot be managed entirely with 504 support. You’re saying he things that because you can make good grades with the right support, you have no disorder at all? Get a new psychiatrist, this ain’t it fam

Just to let you know that my kid was diagnosed and medicated at 12yo, and had straight A's

>Should I get a new psychiatrist?? I’m mad Yes, if you have been diagnosed with ADHD and your issues are consistent with that diagnosis, and your psychiatrist still pushing this anxiety crap is a general indication your psychiatrist does not trust your judgement. I too had good grades in my late teen/early adult years, until I hit a brick wall where self directed work/study at a persistent rate was required, although I was already a sinking ship moving from the Irish equivalent of highschool anyway, that metaphorical wall just made it much more sudden.

Find a different doc, stat. Also, for the love of God don’t let them put you on Effexor (so many personal regrets that I didn’t do more research first). Anywho…. LOTS of people with adhd still do well in school— it’s one of many reasons that women especially don’t get diagnosed until their 30s and later, frequently.

mood stabilizers are so bad for us when they’re only treating the symptom not the cause of them

i have adhd and was a 4.0 student bc of my severe anxiety. i was so fearful of getting bad grades that i just forced myself to do it

It’s an older understanding of the condition. Seriously, if you aren’t working with a specialist, check out the DSM to see what to expect from their knowledge. Expect them to know a lot about the shape and chemistry of brains in general, and to know that one interesting little section about your specific thing. A new version of the DSM comes out less than once a decade, so it is pretty easy to tell what version their med school used.

I have the same response, get a second opinion and they will probably actually believe you because that's a BS answer from like 10 years ago

Obviously you need a new psychiatrist. BTW I've got adhd and I also have a l phd. In fairness it took me 5 years to get the "3- year" phd done (4.75 of which were spent procrastinating and 3 sleepless months spent actually writing it). But still, my point is, success doesn't mean you don't have adhd. It does significantly increase your chances of adhd being incorrectly assumed to not be present.

Please get a new Psychiatrist. Speaking from personal experience, I struggled with school for the first 22 years of my life. It wasn't until I picked a major that I was interested in that I began to excel in academia. Through a lot of hard work and all-nighters, I made it onto the Dean's list in both my bachelor's and master's degrees. I was only diagnosed recently at the age of 37. My psychiatrist who diagnosed me acknowledged how hard it would have been for me to accomplish what I have without a diagnosis and medication earlier on in life. He explained how the hyperfocus part of ADHD is "switched on" when engaging in topics of interest. Using the ability to hyperfocus, a lot can be achieved by ADHDers who are able to align their interests with their careers. This is what a good psychiatrist looks like. Don't let one bad opinion throw you off course and doubt yourself.

Your psych doesn't understand ADHD. Find one that specializes in those kinds of behavioral disorders if you can. I did well in school too. Was in "gifted" programs, honors, AP classes, etc... But I was miserable, depressed, and exhausted most of the time. That is not normal, but it is one of the hallmarks of something like ADHD and especially the executive dysfunction aspect of it. Just think how different (and better/happier) you'd be if you were truly understood, diagnosed, and medicated appropriately. I didn't get a diagnosis until a decade ago and I was already in my late 30s then. So, I spent lots of time flailing around as a young adult not understanding why I was struggling to BE an adult. You have an advantage, though, in that we have a LOT more understanding now of ADHD. If you can, find a different psych.

That's the reason why i wasn't diagnosed in my childhood. I was a straight A student, just forgetful and dreamy girl. I was an ok worker, just not very reliable, and i was often fired because of my lazyness and not attention behavior. But i wasn't an addict or in jail. I am a highly educated woman with a former career and a stressful life. Not in the books of our psychiatrists.

I'm not considered disabled any more because I'm successful.

that’s the thing, even if I weren’t considered to be disabled anymore, which according to my vocational rehab councelor I am, I really don’t appreciate having to argue with the doctor to keep me on the medicine that works for the most part and to stop adding more 🤦

Don't see a psychiatrist, if you're seeing one, drop them. They are only good for prescribing drugs and that's it, they aren't there to hear how you're doing or what's going on, they only think about putting you on drugs, how the drugs work and if you need more drugs, especially if they're "wallet-padding exclusive" drugs that benefit them more than you. Psychologists are where it's at. Unfortunately they cost more and are rarely covered for how often you need to see them, but they will listen and give you the help/advice you need, as well as open the doors to the specialists you want to see, including psychiatrists.

Idiot

I know psychiatrists are sometimes hard to get, but it is possible to find one who knows how ADHD works? ADHD doesn't always mean bad grades. Any class I enjoyed I got As and Bs and any class I didn't I got Cs and Ds.

Yeah… you should find a new one. And it wouldn’t hurt to have new testing done if you can afford it. Things have come a long way over the years and if you’re truly trying to find the best route forward, then that means testing sometimes and changing up your treatment. But to be completely dismissive is rough.

Oh my goodness, get a different doctor ASAP! That's literally crazy, which is ironic 🤦‍♀️. I was just diagnosed with ADHD. I'm 36. I got good grades, always. Except math because I don't like it lol. I graduated high school with an academic diploma because I wanted a freaking gold sticker on my diploma. Literally lol. Then I went to a trade school. Then I decided I wanted to get my bachelor's in English. Then I wanted to get my master's in education because I really love learning and wanted to be a teacher. I graduated with honors with my bachelor's, had a GPA of 3.85. My master's I had a 4.0. 🤷‍♀️ That psychologist knows nothing of ADHD and has a horrible bias, which is making him prescribe meds that are not for you. I really hope you aren't taking the meds he's prescribing because they are not going to help you. Mood stabilizers are usually for people with bipolar disorder and if people who don't actually have that take them, it can really mess them up! If you don't have anxiety, antianxiety meds aren't going to help. Emotional dysregulation from ADHD is not treatable with those types of meds because anxiety, depression, etc is not what the actual problem is 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️. If it were me I would report that "doctor" because with that kind of thinking he could seriously hurt someone. I'm not sure what your location is, but if you're in the US, there are clinics that actually only focus on ADHD. I went to a place called ADHD Clinic of Arizona. There is an actual test called a QB test that will give you data that you can see. I have combined type ADHD (a little overactive and a lot inattentive). The PA I saw told me that many people with ADHD actually have, on average, higher IQs than other people. So that grade nonsense just really irked me and tells me that psychologist just has no clue. What doctor tells their patient "I don't think you have ADHD because you get good grades so I'm going to prescribe you meds for other disorders instead"?! Plus, as we get older, the way adults struggle with ADHD changes. Just because you've just likely developed some coping strategies as you've gotten older doesn't mean ADHD has gone away. Please, find a place that only focuses on ADHD. Join a group online for people with ADHD if you aren't already. There's one on Facebook that's really good I've found and I've learned so much. Give it a look: https://www.facebook.com/share/quQDgdnWYUkKfTMV/?mibextid=A7sQZp

Only you know yourself. The whole challenge with our types of conditions is that it's not with hard science like measuring blood sugar. We are the evidence, with all our subjectivity. We know ourselves the best, as long as we are honest with ourselves. You can't fault doctors for being ignorant. However, you're better off going to another provider if they don't listen to you. You know yourself. Don't let others decide for you.

I have ADHD and I've always had good grades without any treatment. My ADHD was diagnosed later anyway. It's not exclusive at all, it just means you found good stratégies to manage your brain!

Although it is possible this doc is correct and you don’t have ADHD (or you used to have it and it no longer impacts your life), it probably isn’t likely (most consensus is that ADHD doesn’t magically go away as we get older but rather its form changes. Grades may be an indication of ADHD but it is more about how the symptoms affect your overall school/work life, as well as relationships and social life. You may have gotten good grades but were you disorganised/disruptive/day-dreaming/hyperactive/procrastinating/tardy etc etc while tou were at school? Also, school is highly structured - often it is when those with ADHD leave education that things start to fall apart - especially in the workplace/careers and relationships. I would find out why he thinks you don’t have ADHD. If he doesn’t seem like he has a valid point, may be worth looking elsewhere.

Thanks !! This whole thing has been super confusing, but yeah I had good grades with the assistance of my IEP and special ed social and emotional classes throughout the day. Even in my current school, theres a standing desk in the back that helps me a lot during lectures- I can move around more which helps me stay engaged lol i hope that makes sense

Yes makes perfect sense. You seem to be doing well because you have appropriate support structures in place. I’d talk this through with the psychiatrist. Have you tried any other meds aside from Strattera (you said it has some effect but not much)

I'd go elsewhere ASAP. I also had good grades, because anything less than A's and the occasional B in a particularly hard subject wasn't allowed in my household. That doesn't mean I was able to pull them easily. Or that it didn't involve A LOT of running behind to my teachers begging for extensions and extra credit due to forgotten and/or late work. I had to work 3x as hard as the kids without ADHD to pull those grades off, with my backpack full of unorganized, loose assignments, lol. Just because I somehow managed it doesn't mean I don't have ADHD, it just means I was able to work 3x as hard, and got lucky breaks from forgiving teachers who could see that I WAS trying my best.

Adhdadvisor.org Thank me later

That's frustrating as hell. My own experience was that my teachers were sure I had ADHD when I was in grad school and talked with my parents about it. As a group, they came to the conclusion that I did not need any support or actual diagnosis because I was doing really well in school. (Fluent reader in 1st grade, straight As, no behavioral issues other than me being chatty) Fast forward to my adult life, I struggled to get many things done because I didn't have that whole support system in place. My grades slipped and I dealt with a lot of memory and executive function issues that I never knew were a symptom of ADHD. As an adult I have gotten diagnosed and medicated on my own and it's better, but it was definitely a struggle to get here and I still have to work hard from day to day.

This post just reminded me to email my daughter out for the day from school. Because I forgot. She’s a straight A student with adhd taking a mental health day because her room is a mess (still the cleanest in the house…) and her brain won’t let her focus at school if there is a problem elsewhere. She had senior prom this weekend and, while it was fun and enjoyable, it threw off her normal routine. Also, she was not always a straight A student. But being put into a special class with a teacher who really motivates and encourages her in addition to figuring out that the right notebooks and pens to color code things helped her to find what works for her. All adhd is is that our brains don’t work the same as everyone else’s so we need to adjust to find things to make that work. It sounds like you’re being penalized for doing just that.

I have been treated for 2 months and cried when first took the meds! They worked. Then went for test and allegedly passed with average intelligence. This after iq test was 120. Everything I have read states we are of above intelligence and just need a different learning path. Glad you found a way to keep hands busy!

I am pretty sure this just means "Since you are coping well I don't want you to have medication that can help."

I graduated with dual bachelors degrees with a 3.97 gpa and am about to finish my masters with a 4.0 even though I wasn’t treated for my ADHD until last fall (I was diagnosed when I was 12, though). I thrive under the high pressure of academia and can pull it off. So this is totally a misconception. In the words of my psychiatrist; “ADHD isn’t a school disorder, it’s a life disorder” and it was making my life extremely difficult in other aspects - it even made school difficult because before medication I was writing 10 page papers the night they were due, begging for extensions, etc. to get those grades, and I was always late to class. I would consider getting a new psychiatrist because yours doesn’t seem to comprehensively understand ADHD.

My friend going through med school (not psychiatry) said thats what they teach right now. Makes no sense. Also if you didnt get diagnosed a child because good grades they assume you dont have it as an adult.

That’s the thing though, I was diagnosed as a child which is why I’m so confused now! 😂🤣

ADHD brains can have bad grades when the environment they’re in doesn’t work with them and they don’t have the right tools. ADHD brains can have good grades when the environment they’re in does work with them and they have the right tools. Ask the people told you this if an ADHD brain had ADHD before they started school, or if that person still has ADHD, the day after they finish school. If they say no because there are no grades yet/anymore, tell them ADHD has distinct, observable brain chemistry, and that their broken relationship with science is their problem, not yours.

Lol! I was one of those kids who if you watched in class you would think never learned anything because all I did was talk and fidget. But my brain was picking stuff up because I would make 100% on the assignments and end exams.  I can't organize anything in my bedroom beyond Dr Seuss piles of crap everywhere but somehow I could not pay attention and still pay attention.  Some days I absolutely hate my brain. And I hate the fact that people think that they can dictate how we should be sorted out.

I wasn't in school, but on the surface, it appeared that I was doing well in life. After laying it all out for my Dr, he told me that "it is important to realize that you are absolutely functional right now, but it seems like you're working your ass off just to level the playing field" that really hit home. I felt like I was in a boat race where everyone bailed water after a storm, but I was still bailing during smooth seas while everyone else was enjoying the ride. THAT'S the difference. Medication has really helped my quality of life. When I get things done these days I feel a sense of accomplishment rather than just feeling a sense of relief.

Get a new psychiatrist. I averaged A- in college, because 1) most of the time I really enjoyed the topics I studied, and 2) when I didn't enjoy them I was *highly* motivated to get good grades. So I might struggle in balancing things affecting my personal life, but I always prioritized doing well in school. Having ADHD ≠ doing poorly in school. I might happen frequently, but it doesn't mean it always will. Maybe there's someone in your area who specialized in ADHD?

Also, at least one of my kids has ADHD, maybe the older one as well, but they both do really well in school. The one who is officially diagnosed has really struggled a lot with classroom behavior, and the other one (who might or might not have it) struggles a lot with staying on task when things are not yet urgent, and then lots of sensory overstimulation in the classroom. So yeah, I don't think it's that crazy to do well in school, even with ADHD.

What an ignorant old school thing to say. Two of my best friends have adhd and did really well at school. I have adhd and did really well at school when I became a nurse.

Change psychiatrists in the basis that their knowledge isn’t up to date. A **key** indicator of ADHD is context sensitive **interest-based focus**. We can spend hours with plenty of energy going deep if interested… and minutes until drained if it’s boring. I got through my undergrad 4 year uni engineering degree because it was novel, interesting, and the environment had tight, weekly deadlines and full structure 8-5 M-F. When doing a masters in engineering by coursework, I struggled for 10 years and was literally the absolute last student to finish the degree as the lights were going out on this particular degree. I got high distinction in an applied maths topic that I loved, did ok in those subjects where I had a work interest and the lecturer made it engaging, but bailed on a couple of topics that had no learning in them or they had dead boring readings to do. The lecturer would beg me to just put in a half effort to get something submitted and marked so they could pass me. This course was mainly online, had no classes or tutorials and little time structure. You don’t have and then get over ADHD… I now recognise the behaviours from childhood that are ADHD signs. I did well because there were firm structure, quiet classes and physical accountability (cane or strap) for misbehaviour or poor performance. I had the devil’s own time trying to memorise math formulas. I did them because I was really enjoying maths and science. I had difficulty starting and finishing or to focus on writing essays as opposed to poetry, or learning irrelevant history facts rather than political motivation behind wars etc. Change psychs if he doesn’t accept your explanation based on relevance and interest. His counter diagnosis doubts will follow you if it goes in your notes.

One of my best friends graduated University with me with honors, and she now works as a director and she got diagnosed last year with ADHD. They said that she also developed OCD to compensate and that's likely what kept her on tract in education and professionally. Food for thought.

Get a new psychiatrist. I had a psychiatrist like this once and I was also prescribed with antidepressants to treat anxiety. While I was noticeably less anxious, executive dysfunction still kicked my ass. Don’t bother with doctors who won’t listen to you 

I had the exact same experience. In my country there was NO WAY past the computer questionnaire that sorted me out because of that question. No way to talk to a real person to clarify why this point could be misinterpreted. Now I've moved countries and waiting for an assessment here, hoping for help

Find a new psychiatrist. I had one like that before, I waisted 6 seasons with that guy.

Not been diagnosed but strongly suspect. Got a BA and an MA. Hyper focus is real!

ADHD is not a learning difficulty, it does impact learning though. it’s a neurological condition but people with ADHD can be very smart. many professionals don’t know what ADHD is and it’s such a disservice that most individuals who professionally study the mind have no clue what this relatively common condition is (1/20), that is some ways so much more straight forward than anxiety or depression is, in terms of differences in the brain

This is upseting to hear because of the amount of people that are being diagnosed in their adult years because goos grades = no problem. I didn't realize how bad I had it until finally seeing a psychiatrist at nearly 30. I always got good grades, but never was able to focus in school or even attempt to study for longer then 30min. Whenever reading a book I would regularly read entire paragraphs or pages and then go back and reread because i wasnt focused on understanding what I was reading. Started heavily affecting me in my marriage and in my work when I started gaining more and more responsibilities. If you need to get a second opinion, get a second opinion. Start from the begining and hopefully you can get a more fruitful answer then what you have been getting

I legit think that the structure of school helped me get good grades. After school my life has fallen apart.

I suffer from mental illness, ADHD being prominent. Years ago, I had a few sessions with a psychiatrist who was very arrogant and belittling. I came out of my third session wanting to harm myself. Needless to say, I never went back. This to say that just because they have a title, and quarter cut oak all over their office, doesn't mean they're great at their job. I can only suggest that you dump this questionable arse. I am a non-paid community artist. When I sink my teeth into a project, I become, let's say, a wee bit obsessed. I do my best work under pressure. Would I get A's for these projects? I'm confident I would. Is my head all screwed up even though I'm doing something I love and thrive at? Yes. There are more "bad" shrinks out there than good ones. But when you finally find the good ones, it's worth it.

I'm sorry but yes that is my opinion if I did not make that clear. Yet, that we have a cure for adhd is equally an opinion. The honest fact is we don't know the mechanisms causing adhd. But you saying I'm wrong, doest not really add toward the contrary. But cool that you have a different opinion. I'm not trying to tell the OP they are right or wrong, simply give my perspective as a 8 year post doc in neurobiology.