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“I Think I Have ADHD:” Advocating for Yourself vs. Pushing the Diagnosis
Just a heads up: I am not a doctor. This article is based on my personal experience, the experiences of other people with ADHD whom I’ve spoken with, and the perspectives given during my conversations with mental health professionals.
Perhaps the most popular question I get, besides “how are you wearing a sweatshirt in Costa Rica” (it gets cold here in the mornings MKAY?!) is “how did you get your ADHD diagnosis?”
The answer is anticlimactic: I decided one day to get evaluated; Google searched for local professionals who diagnose ADHD; called their office and verified that I didn’t need a referral, and made an appointment for that Friday. I was evaluated, and by the following week I’d also met with a psychiatrist for medicine. That’s pretty much it. No rings of fire, no tightrope-walking…just a couple phone calls.
I know, though, that my experience isn’t the most common. Many — women especially — are finding it difficult to be taken seriously by their trusted medical professionals when they voice their concerns. Medical sexism has been a problem for quite a while, and when you tie in the fact that many physicians don’t really get what ADHD really is, and…well…it doesn’t make for a very helpful mix.
