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If you are aware of your disorder, do you still have it?

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MarketAndChurch
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19 Jun 2015, 2:05 am

kamiyu910 wrote:
MarketAndChurch wrote:
kamiyu910 wrote:
I think Sweetleaf touched on a good point, going in and saying "I have x" usually puts them on the defensive. I thought it would be helpful thing, but I've found it usually goes better if I go in saying my symptoms and ask them what they think.


I know what you're saying. But it took me 3-4 years to get an IBS diagnoses. The response I normally got from the doctors who saw me was "You know, when I'm hungry, I usually have a snack, especially if I know I won't make it to lunch time." That was it: Have a snack! Followups with my doctor weren't any better. With only 3 months left of school, I proactively looked up all of my symptoms, found out about IBS, and demanded from my doctor that I be seen for this because whatever it is that I have, IBS or not, I've already missed 5 months of high school because of it. I was immediately referred to specialists who diagnosed me quickly and comprehensively, and found out along the way a couple of other dietary allergies and syndromes that I suffered from that exacerbated the symptoms of my IBS.

My take away from this is that you have to be proactive, especially if you are as inarticulate, with a non-working memory-recall in social situations as I am. I've tried to reach out to doctors before about my anxiety. They didn't want to hear about it, and it really took me forcefully leading the conversation to how it immobilizes me that I finally got one prescription for an anti-deppressant. But you know... to protect myself, I think it's pretty sound advice to stick to.


Yeah, even when going in just describing symptoms doesn't always work :( Took me about 7 months of being told I was "just depressed" or "I don't know, take these pills" before they figured out my thyroid was broken and killing me.
For psychiatrists, I've never had one I liked. I had one therapist who I did kinda like but the visits stopped helping after a while. My very first one (when I was 14) called me a spoiled brat to my face, with my dad in the room, just because I have a serious problem with not being able to clean.
So my opinion of those in psychiatry is not exactly high... especially since the psychologist I saw said I shouldn't exist, had no idea how to figure out my IQ, and said some other equally confusing things.
I hope you can get some help out of the one you're seeing.


Ugh. I don't know if I could survive that. All I hear in my mind from undergoing these experiences is how unhuman I am. Telling me to be something I can't be is an indictment. Maybe I am that much of a monster. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I don't think my conscious survive being told that I'm a spoiled brat. And thank you for the encouragement. I'll milk this for what its worth and try to get something out of it. A little help, even for something I don't need at the moment, is better then no help.


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MarketAndChurch
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19 Jun 2015, 2:09 am

MarkOrbit wrote:

I even have big problems understanding the point of topics and conversations. Like this post for example, I try my best to add my two cents but I could be way off and not know it.

Yes you still have it, absolutely. Learning how to work with it is best.


I know the feel. I think we all sort of go through life with a bit of context-blindness, and spend much of our time putting context back into our interpretation of the world. I think the effort is what counts, people see earnest effort. This was very encouraging, thank you.


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btbnnyr
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19 Jun 2015, 2:23 am

Do you have a diagnosis of ADHD currently?
If not, I would put that as top priority to get assessed for before personality disorders.
Documented impairments of focus, processing speed, and working memory can lead directly to disability accommodations.
When talking to this psych or another psych, I suggest emphasizing these impairments that are affecting your classes, stress level, mental well-being.
Don't bring up the personality disorders right away, and don't go in with a list of disorders you think you have.
You may be right about them, but you could also be wrong, and focusing on getting the psych to agree with you about which disorders you think you have is unlikely to get you help you need now from most psychs.
Go in with impairments you definitely have as evidenced by current + urgent problems.


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MarketAndChurch
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19 Jun 2015, 2:41 am

btbnnyr wrote:
Do you have a diagnosis of ADHD currently?
If not, I would put that as top priority to get assessed for before personality disorders.
Documented impairments of focus, processing speed, and working memory can lead directly to disability accommodations.
When talking to this psych or another psych, I suggest emphasizing these impairments that are affecting your classes, stress level, mental well-being.
Don't bring up the personality disorders right away, and don't go in with a list of disorders you think you have.
You may be right about them, but you could also be wrong, and focusing on getting the psych to agree with you about which disorders you think you have is unlikely to get you help you need now from most psychs.
Go in with impairments you definitely have as evidenced by current + urgent problems.


Thank you so much for this. This is solid advice. I didn't think anything of it, but I think it also presents them with a mountain of issues that they may not know how to sort through off the back, or know what to tackle first. I only brought it because she wanted to know the things I've already been diagnosed for, and some of the symptoms I may be suffering from in the present.

It's just that I wanted to be thorough. It's an unhealthy urge, but my inability to express myself verbally or socially often makes me feel it a necessity, especially because of past experiences with medical professions, but as in this case, even if it comes at my own detriment. Not being thorough due to my inability to express myself socially or verbally is what prolonged my getting an IBS diagnosis, and has been the barrier to a lot of things.

I'll give it time. Hopefully we'll touch on my OCD and ADHD in the near future. And if not, I'm sure I'll find a way.


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btbnnyr
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19 Jun 2015, 12:04 pm

MarketAndChurch wrote:
btbnnyr wrote:
Do you have a diagnosis of ADHD currently?
If not, I would put that as top priority to get assessed for before personality disorders.
Documented impairments of focus, processing speed, and working memory can lead directly to disability accommodations.
When talking to this psych or another psych, I suggest emphasizing these impairments that are affecting your classes, stress level, mental well-being.
Don't bring up the personality disorders right away, and don't go in with a list of disorders you think you have.
You may be right about them, but you could also be wrong, and focusing on getting the psych to agree with you about which disorders you think you have is unlikely to get you help you need now from most psychs.
Go in with impairments you definitely have as evidenced by current + urgent problems.


Thank you so much for this. This is solid advice. I didn't think anything of it, but I think it also presents them with a mountain of issues that they may not know how to sort through off the back, or know what to tackle first. I only brought it because she wanted to know the things I've already been diagnosed for, and some of the symptoms I may be suffering from in the present.

It's just that I wanted to be thorough. It's an unhealthy urge, but my inability to express myself verbally or socially often makes me feel it a necessity, especially because of past experiences with medical professions, but as in this case, even if it comes at my own detriment. Not being thorough due to my inability to express myself socially or verbally is what prolonged my getting an IBS diagnosis, and has been the barrier to a lot of things.

I'll give it time. Hopefully we'll touch on my OCD and ADHD in the near future. And if not, I'm sure I'll find a way.


I think it would help if you started at the next session with these focus/speed/memory issues in school.
I think these are more urgent to get help with than anxiety at present.
Anxiety can take much more time and more adjusting one's thinking to deal with anxiety-inducing events like training oneself on any intellectual skill, but documented impairments of ADHD can lead to concrete accommodations more quickly.
If you think this psych is going to be resistant towards any assessments, I suggest switching to a different psych and starting over with a short list (~5 items) of your most urgent impairments.
For eggsample, you could say what you posted about schoolwork that should take two hours but takes two days due to focus problems. For each issue, give a concrete eggsample. Say that you feel like you can be much more successful and much less stressed out in school with accommodations like more time on math tests.
I suggest a proactive approach on your part, since you are in a really stressed out state currently, and you have clear impairments negatively affecting what you want to do in life, there are no better reasons for assessment of neurological/developmental disorders than these.


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MiLK
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20 Jun 2015, 12:14 am

Not everyone can be proactive if dealing with so much stress and anxiety. Tests are nerve-wrecking and simply not always something that actually prove you are able to do or know something. When you fail the test, anxiety for the next occasion increases. One of these processes can take up so much working memory because of this that there's no room anymore for the other.



arielhawksquill
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20 Jun 2015, 9:32 am

The OP is identifying with an alphabet soup's worth of disorders that could perhaps more economically be explained under the heading of autism. The executive dysfunction, difficulty going to sleep, even the digestive symptoms resulting from food sensitivities are all frequently described problems here. The "tics" might be stimming, and the time-wasting could be maladaptive daydreaming, which are coping mechanisms many autistics share. Same for the social avoidance. Difficulty starting on tasks like homework could be the result of autistic intertia. What is described as "fascist" tendencies could simply be autistic rigidity.

By all means accept treatment for anxiety, even medication if it is offered (it can really help.) But ask your provider for a referral to be assessed for ADHD and related disorders, emphasizing how you need it for help in school to get the process moving forward immediately.