20 Minute Diagnosis

After several months of therapy following a suicide attempt and a lifetime of anxiety, depression, mood swings, etc, my therapist recommended that I see a psychiatrist. Well, the problem with this town is that there aren't enough to go around. Everybody's booked for the next two years, but he did get me in to see a psychiatrist a town over with a last minute opening.
After several hours of waiting, this doctor sat me down, listened to me talk for 20 minutes, and diagnosed me with ADHD.
Nowhere in my 6 months of therapy with my current doctor has ADHD even come up. After speaking with him about the diagnosis, he informed me that most therapists prefer to eliminate every other possibility before diagnosing ADHD, and that it was very strange that he would have such an opinion.
I haven't been back to see the psychiatrist since, and the pills that he prescribed me (Said they'd calm my mind and help me sleep) caused me to actually LOSE sleep and feel miserable at work for three solid weeks. This hasn't help ease my mind, as I'm pretty well scared crapless of taking medications as it is.
What do you think? Has ADHD become a go-to anxiety diagnosis? Are some psychiatrists just lazy pill dispensers?

What pills did he give you ?

That useless crap " Strattera" also called atomoxetine ?

Copy_Cat wrote:What did he give you ?

Clonidine. He said it was usually over the counter, so I shouldn't be worried about taking it. After the first night, I started waking up unable to breathe around 11pm, and not being able to fall back to sleep. I have to be up for work at 3am, so it was pretty damn inconvenient.

That's the newest thing the blood pressure pills for ADHD.

I don't think anyone reports that it works except maybe people in those "studies" big pharma sends to the FDA.

Only speed (amphetamine) works on adhd.

Copy_Cat wrote:That's the newest thing the blood pressure pills for ADHD.

I don't think anyone reports that it works except maybe people in those "studies" big pharma sends to the FDA.

Only speed (amphetamine) works on adhd.

But that's the thing, I don't think I have ADHD. My regular therapist that i've seen for months now doesn't think I have it either. He says that clinical depression and suicide attempts are pretty big signs that it's not ADHD. Yet a supposed medical doctor swears up and down that it's ADHD 20 minutes after meeting me.

I just looked at the big pharma written fake reviews for this stuff,

"Kapvay (clonidine): My 5 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD just yesterday, the Behavior Specialist said his was one of the worst cases that she had seen in a while, she had suggested putting him on a stimulant medication, I told her i would like to a non-stimulant medication first and she prescribed him Kapvay. My son took it for the first time last night before bed, he went right to sleep and when he woke up this morning he was the calmest most pleasant, helpful and nicest he had ever been in his life. I could not believe the overnight change. I'm so glad it worked so fast, he has not gotten in trouble once today which is a new record His teachers are going to be thrilled on Monday! Thank you to the makers of Clonidine!"

http://www.drugs.com/comments/clonidine ... order.html

Nice job they do hitting all the selling points !

I would hire this company to write fake reviews for my business !!!!

-- Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:52 am --

"clonidine: My 4 year old was diagnosed with severe ADHD and we had tried several different medications before we got the clonidine, after being on the clonidine for about a week he had become calm, he listens better, he is just all round a more well behaved child. Clonidine is a God-send for anyone who has a child with ADHD"


-Same site


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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Read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/fake-yelp-reviews_n_3983564.html

-- Mon Oct 14, 2013 5:54 am --

NovieNorth wrote:But that's the thing, I don't think I have ADHD. My regular therapist that i've seen for months now doesn't think I have it either. He says that clinical depression and suicide attempts are pretty big signs that it's not ADHD. Yet a supposed medical doctor swears up and down that it's ADHD 20 minutes after meeting me.

Do you think you "have" it ?

I know I do, did you look up what it is and identify with the symptoms ?

Just be careful messing with psychiatry, those meds have the potential to make things 100 times worse.

Do u agree adhd is an illness? Or is it just a set of symtpoms that most children go thru at some stage?

I agree speed /amphetamines do help u concentrate, do better work , stay up, calm u etc.

Im struggline that adhd is actually a real disease tho?

They say that about every diagnosis, "We want to make sure it ain't anything else first."

Try to find that mindset in regular medical practice outside psychiatry. They aren't concerned with a series of conditions, they're looking for what actually malfunctioned. Also, you'll never see a diagnosis after 20 minutes, unless you go in for something pretty obvious like the common cold or the flu.

I would be weary of a doctor who pushes pills at your after meeting you for only 20 minutes. I know you stated that there are not many psychiatrists in your area, but perhaps you could still try to look around and get on some wait lists if medication is a route that you would like to try?