In this post, you will learn what that appointment might be like. You will learn what to bring with you to your appointment,and discover issues related to filing a medical insurance claim for the visit. In addition, you will find out what happens during an evaluation for ADD, including what questions the doctor may ask and what testing you may be asked to complete. You will also learn the importance of knowing your family history of mental health issues. Finally, you will learn about the feelings you may experience after you have been diagnosed with ADD.
When you attend your first appointment with the clinician, it may be very similar to what is described in this post. Or it may be very different. Keep in mind that every clinician has their own style, or way of conducting an ADD evaluation. If you have any questions about the evaluation process, ask the clinician. Good clinicians encourage questions, and they answer patients' questions with respect.
BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT
You may have a flurry of questions and concerns before you even set foot in the clinician's office. This is completely normal. You may be wondering how long the appointment will take and what documents you should bring with you. You may also wonder if you should file a claim with your medical insurer. Differential Diagnosis Adhd
How Long Will the Evaluation Take?
If you go to a clinician who specializes in mental health issues (a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, counselor, or psychologist), your first appointment will typically last about an hour to an hour and a half. The length of your appointment depends on the type of clinician you see and how he schedules new patient appointments.
Whom to Bring (or Not to Bring) with You
When you have ADD, your family and friends may be the best judge of the severity of your ADD symptoms. It may be helpful to bring your spouse, partner, adult child, or parent with you to the appointment. Most clinicians are okay with you bringing a family member, although you should check ahead of time to see if this is okay.
You may not want to bring your young children to the appointment, especially if they tend to be on the active side. If you are spending most of your time trying to corral your child, you won't be getting as much out of the appointment, and it may also frustrate the clinician.
In addition, you will be discussing personal information with the clinician and may not want to talk about these things in front of your children.
What to Bring with You
In order to make your doctor's visit the most productive it can be, it is recommended that you bring the following items with you to the appointment. Be sure to review this checklist (and the details below) before you walk out your front door:
- Your current medication, in the original pill bottle(s)
- Past report cards or behavior reports
- Psychological testing reports
- Medical records
- Notes about your family's medical history
- Letters from family and friends
- A list of your concerns
- Workplace assessments and reviews
- A list outlining your job history
- Your medical insurance card
- Any forms the doctor's office sent you
Because you may be asked about your current medications - what you are taking, the dosage, and how often you take it - it is recommended that you bring your pill bottle(s) to your appointment. Any information your doctor needs about the medication is right there on the label.
Documentation
Because you have had years of life experiences prior to this appointment, it is helpful to bring documentation from your school days and work experiences, medical records, and letters from your family members and friends. The more documentation you bring, the more information your clinician has to work with when determining a diagnosis.
Also, don't worry if you feel like you have too much paperwork - just try to keep it as neat as possible by putting it in a folder. It's okay if the clinician doesn't look at all your paperwork - he will figure out what the most important papers are when you meet. Even if he just glances over some of your paperwork, he can still glean quite a bit of information.
Make sure you have the forms and other documentation prepared ahead of time. The night before your appointment, put the documents in a location you can see easily so you can grab them before you head out the door! You may even want to fax some of the documentation to the office ahead of time (let them know you will be doing this) to avoid arriving at the appointment without your documents. Differential Diagnosis Adhd
Report cards and school reports
If you have any school records, bring them to your appointment. Your report cards may have had ADD-related comments on them such as "Doesn't work to potential," "Doesn't stay in seat," or even "Poor handwriting." In addition to the comments on your report cards, having flipped grades (receiving an A in science and a D in math one semester, then vice versa the next semester) may also be a sign of ADD.
In addition to your report cards, bring in any documentation of school testing and any behavior reports. Also bring any paperwork related to receiving special services in the schools, such as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Accommodations Form. Don't worry if you aren't able to bring in your report cards or other school records - if one or both of your parents have or had ADD, they may not have saved your report cards.
Workplace records
Bring any workplace assessments or reviews with you to your appointment. Your workplace reviews may have ADD-related statements from your employer such as "Difficulty getting to work on time," "Difficulty following through on assigned tasks," or "Does not meet deadlines."
The assessments and reviews from your employer will also give your clinician a good idea about how many times you have changed jobs and for what reasons. It is also helpful to bring in a list of where you have worked, how long you worked at each job, and why you left. This information can be helpful to a clinician since people with ADD change jobs more frequently than those without ADD, and they are more likely to be fired for poor work performance.
Notes about your family's medical history
Keep track of your family's medical history on a notepad so you can bring it to your clinician's appointment. See "Family History" for details about what to ask your family members. Differential Diagnosis Adhd
Letters from family and friends
It can be helpful to bring your clinician letters from family members and friends describing their experiences with your ADD behaviors. You want the letters to be as descriptive as possible. Ask a person who knows you well to write a letter telling the story of a time when you had behavior issues or got yourself into trouble. You can also ask the person to mention tidbits about any other troublesome behaviors they have noticed in you over the years, such as having severe temper tantrums or getting into fights with your cousins. Every little bit of information helps.
It may be emotionally difficult for you to read the letters, because you will learn how others view your behavior. Keep in mind that the letter is being written to help you get the best care and most accurate diagnosis possible. As mentioned before, people around you may have a more accurate perception of the severity of your ADD symptoms than you do. That's just the nature of ADD - it is difficult to assess your own behavior.
To help your family and friends to provide useful responses, consider asking them the following questions:
- What have you noticed about my organizational skills, my follow-through on projects, my mood, and how I cope with day-to-day stress?
- What else have you noticed about my behavior?
- What areas of my life seem to be most affected?
- At what times do you notice that I'm doing better or don't seem to have as many difficulties?
- When did you first notice I had difficulties paying attention or sitting still?
- What are some of the impulsive things that l've done?
- How does my behavior affect you?
- What are some positive things you have noticed about me?
