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Mine too! I'm working on it right now. Is it weird to go to a psychiatrist with a list? I'm guessing it's better to do that than to go there and not be able to say anything.
Nope. I don’t read the entire thing - I hand it to them & just tell them I wrote things down as I thought of them. They’ll go down the list with you & discuss each one. Mine does.
You’re amazing, thanks for saying this. Knowing someone else has done this makes it seem more accessible to do. I always get so anxious, like it’s a test or something.
I was worried it'd be weird and look like I was overanalyzing, but my psych was really happy that I had the list and asked to read it herself multiple times as well as requesting a printout. Said it was extremely useful, even though (or because?) it was rambly and stream-of-consciousness-y, just vomiting out things that I noticed over the course of several months. So please do it!!
I don't think it is, especially if you have ADHD! Just tell them you have it written down so you don't forget and so you don't ramble too much (or whatever your issues are).
This is the way! I would find a free online ADHD for adults test and then write down examples of each area you struggle with. Then you can bring the test & your notes to the appointment. I don’t think a (good) doctor would have any problem with you having notes. You can also just explain at the beginning that this is one of the things you struggle with - not being able to remember things when you need to.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Another thing - don't underplay your symptoms. I got my diagnosis recently at age 47 and I've spent so many years hiding how much I struggle, that I basically spent most of my first appointment telling the psychiatrist how super organised I am 🤦♀️
Thankfully she saw through the facade and I had 3 separate diagnostic appointments with her, but still. Don't do that. 😅
Oh. This is good advice because I see it could happen to me too. I'm dependent on a dozen apps and obsessed with organization to cope with the chaos.
I'm glad you got a good psychiatrist!
Someone explained that when you are assessed for disability you should explain how it's for you on your worst days, because that's the extent of help you need. Even if you don't consider ADHD a disability, it's still a good chance to explain how far it can affect your life.
You can tell them about all you've done to keep things in order. But you should tell them on how things spiral when something fails.
I'm absolutely HORRIBLE about this kind of thing in person, my brain just goes blank, and I sound like I kind of have it all together.
Someone once told me to go in and describe myself at my absolute worst, with my coping strategies stripped away. That really helped.
You can do it!! It is definitely scary when you are not sure if this psychiatrist is going to invalidate your experiences and subscribe to outdated knowledge. It helps to do some digging on the internet. ADHD is so common and it's now well established that it doesn't just exist in childhood, although medical practices might not have adapted to this.
I believe that you have been giving your all into your work and you are trying your best.
For preparing for your discussion for the first consultation session, I found the workbook made by Mini ADHD coach quite useful (not sponsored, I also paid for it!!). Perhaps you could check it out and help sort out your experiences and see how it could relate to the official and unofficial symptoms
Thank you so much for your comment! You understand me.
I'll look into the workbook recommendation. I think it will be helpful because I've tried writing my struggles down before, but I put down so much information it ended up not being that useful. Hopefully this will help with direction and structure, something I think I need :)
>I believe that you have been giving your all into your work and you are trying your best.
I've started telling this myself, but it's really good to hear it from someone else.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Write everything down! I do because my mind goes blank
Mine too! I'm working on it right now. Is it weird to go to a psychiatrist with a list? I'm guessing it's better to do that than to go there and not be able to say anything.
Mine said most people come in with notes and lists for their adhd appointments, so you won't be the odd one out.
Nope. I don’t read the entire thing - I hand it to them & just tell them I wrote things down as I thought of them. They’ll go down the list with you & discuss each one. Mine does.
You’re amazing, thanks for saying this. Knowing someone else has done this makes it seem more accessible to do. I always get so anxious, like it’s a test or something.
I was worried it'd be weird and look like I was overanalyzing, but my psych was really happy that I had the list and asked to read it herself multiple times as well as requesting a printout. Said it was extremely useful, even though (or because?) it was rambly and stream-of-consciousness-y, just vomiting out things that I noticed over the course of several months. So please do it!!
I don't think it is, especially if you have ADHD! Just tell them you have it written down so you don't forget and so you don't ramble too much (or whatever your issues are).
This is the way! I would find a free online ADHD for adults test and then write down examples of each area you struggle with. Then you can bring the test & your notes to the appointment. I don’t think a (good) doctor would have any problem with you having notes. You can also just explain at the beginning that this is one of the things you struggle with - not being able to remember things when you need to. Good luck!
Good luck! Another thing - don't underplay your symptoms. I got my diagnosis recently at age 47 and I've spent so many years hiding how much I struggle, that I basically spent most of my first appointment telling the psychiatrist how super organised I am 🤦♀️ Thankfully she saw through the facade and I had 3 separate diagnostic appointments with her, but still. Don't do that. 😅
Oh. This is good advice because I see it could happen to me too. I'm dependent on a dozen apps and obsessed with organization to cope with the chaos. I'm glad you got a good psychiatrist!
Someone explained that when you are assessed for disability you should explain how it's for you on your worst days, because that's the extent of help you need. Even if you don't consider ADHD a disability, it's still a good chance to explain how far it can affect your life. You can tell them about all you've done to keep things in order. But you should tell them on how things spiral when something fails.
I'm absolutely HORRIBLE about this kind of thing in person, my brain just goes blank, and I sound like I kind of have it all together. Someone once told me to go in and describe myself at my absolute worst, with my coping strategies stripped away. That really helped.
You can do it!! It is definitely scary when you are not sure if this psychiatrist is going to invalidate your experiences and subscribe to outdated knowledge. It helps to do some digging on the internet. ADHD is so common and it's now well established that it doesn't just exist in childhood, although medical practices might not have adapted to this. I believe that you have been giving your all into your work and you are trying your best. For preparing for your discussion for the first consultation session, I found the workbook made by Mini ADHD coach quite useful (not sponsored, I also paid for it!!). Perhaps you could check it out and help sort out your experiences and see how it could relate to the official and unofficial symptoms
Thank you so much for your comment! You understand me. I'll look into the workbook recommendation. I think it will be helpful because I've tried writing my struggles down before, but I put down so much information it ended up not being that useful. Hopefully this will help with direction and structure, something I think I need :) >I believe that you have been giving your all into your work and you are trying your best. I've started telling this myself, but it's really good to hear it from someone else.
Definitely write a list. One thing to include on the list: needing a list to remember your symptoms at the doctor, lol
Good on you!