- How Do I Get My ADHD Treated As An Adult?
QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
Were you interviewed on WAPI-AM radio this morning? It was very interesting and informative.
I believe that I could benefit from some type of treatment, as I have a difficult time maintaining concentration levels sufficient to complete mundane tasks. These tasks primarily include organizational activities (office, garage, fishing tackle, personal papers, clothing etc.).
Any suggestions you can make or any direction you can point me in would be greatly appreciated. I am approaching 50 years old and feel I have already wasted a lot of valuable time.
ANSWER:
Thank you for your kind words. The first step would be to go over the criteria, giving one or two examples of every criteria you fit. Be prepared to give your physician a legible copy of this information, along with examples of how these symptoms have been present since you were a child, how they affect you in all settings (school, home, work, social), and a few examples of how these symptoms have caused you serious problems in your life. Your next step would be to speak with your personal physician about the criteria. He/she should be able to treat you or refer you to a psychiatrist who treats adult ADHD. You probably should have a stress test before starting Ritalin or Adderall for ADHD, and this can be discussed with your personal physician as well. It’s important for you to know that low doses are usually not effective in adults (Mass General, J Clin Psychopharmacol, Aug 1995 – “The literature appears to support the use of robust doses of both stimulants and antidepressants for ADHD in adults.”). I would highly recommend reading “Driven to Distraction” by Hallowell & Ratey, written by two psychiatrists who have ADHD. I would highly recommend you study my information sheet on “Adult AD(H)D and Relationships”, and you read my section on ADHD in “Biological Unhappiness”. If you still have problems locating a physician who treats adult ADHD, you should contact CHADD (www.CHADD.org) for some assistance. If you can’t find someone in your area willing to treat adult ADHD, and it’s worth your while to visit Florida, I would be happy to make the evaluation and get you treated if you do fit that diagnosis. Please understand that most patients with ADHD have additional diagnoses, and I’d recommend you take a good look at the “Screening Test” I use for my patients.
