I’m an ADHD assessor that has ADHD - AMA

[DisabledNurseofTiktok]

This topic was incredibly popular on another social media site so I thought I would open it up here!

Im an Advanved Nurse Practitioner that assesses, diagnoses and treats ADHD. I have ADHD, and my daughter has ADHD.

if you have any questions about right to choose, assessments, treatments, or just ADHD in general ask away!

Absolutely!

I haven’t mentally audited it to be fair, but you’ve got me thinking now!

I have a background worry that my DS may have ADHD. But he'd a adopted, came to us just under 3 years ago, so there's been a lot to work on already and of course there is the whole trauma and ND can present similarly issue.

Should I be pursuing the path to diagnosis?

Neither school nor his therapist have mentioned it yet. But he's 8 (year 3 this year) and there has been a big uptick in school mentioning concentration issues.

Cannabis activates the brains reward system, thus increasing dopamine, and ADHD dysregulates dopamine production in the brain often leading to a deficit.

My 19yo, university student DD is diagnosed with ADHD, but isn’t taking her medication every day as she says it stops her getting to sleep- why do you advise regarding this? She’s also dyslexic and has Tourette’s, so quite ND, although you’d never guess until you get to know her, as she can seem very “together”. For context I strongly suspect DS2 also has ADHD, but he doesn’t feel he needs a diagnosis.

My question is regarding DDs tantrums when she’s stressed. They’re rare, and she’s usually delightful. But this evening she was very stressed and threw a glass of juice over DS2 for no real reason. She’s always tried to start fights with DS2 (he’s two years older than her ) and he never, ever rises to it. He stays calm and collected. She then screamed at DH she was dropping out of uni (not long after she the admitted she totally wasn’t, which we’d already assumed ) Would you think this awful behaviour is “chasing dopamine” or is she just occasionally really, really horrible for absolutely no reason?

DS concluded, while dripping with the juice she’d thrown over him, that she needs to take up an extreme sport like him. He seems to have an uncanny insight into his siblings crazy behaviour, whichis why I ask.

Why do you think a psychologist is more qualified? What branch of psychologist? Clinical? Educational? Forensic? HCPC registered or chartered?

I would get a right to choose referral for an adhd assessment. Untreated adhd often causes depression!

Which is first? The chicken or the egg?

My DC is awaiting assessment and there has also some trauma caused by the breakdown of my relationship his dad. So it could be argued that he's how he is because of trauma. However there have been signs of ADHD since since he was a baby. I know which came first.

The "trauma" label really is a massive stigma and it sits very very uncomfortably with me.

I personally haven’t assessed anyone over 75. I have however assessed many people in their late 60s 🙂

No I don’t, because most of the assessment for hyperactivity is based on objective assessment, and the information gained during the semi structured interview is synthesised with the pre assessment information and visual observation along with medical history, social history, mental health history, substance misuse history and offending history. It just wouldn’t be possible to project symptoms in all of these areas consistently if they weren’t truly present.

I suspect we’re talking about a different cohort of children. I’m talking about those children who have been on social care’s radar since birth, maybe even before then, and lived their lives immersed in dysfunctional dynamics and exposed to harm. Trauma is a very important concept to many people, and a valid terminology to use.

I’ve always suspected I gave adhd as I find it difficult to focus/concentrate. Could appear lazy when I was at school. Have a lot of unfinished tasks as an adult, but the hair twirling I constantly do it and have done since I was a child, I even get repetitive wrist strain from it. I do it when I’m driving! My mind does jump to different subjects a lot and I’m a big daydreamer. Are these all signs? Also my middle daughters teacher has mentioned she can’t sit still when focusing on tasks, but she can sit well in assembly’s etc it’s only sitting in the classroom. Rocking on chair fidgeting, she wriggles about when standing in queues with me or waiting for something, but overall isn’t like me. She’s extremely clever (exceeding curriculum)not forgetful and doesn’t daydream like me, would this indicate an assessment or as she only has one trait would it not? Sorry for the long post :)

Op this is a fascinating thread

As an ed psych I would love to train up to carry out adhd assessments

I have a doctorate and have done lots of extra training

What else shall I train in?

Can I then carry out assessments alone?
I have 20 years ed psych experience
Was a teacher for ten years too

Thank you

I’m really sorry, I’m not able to offer any kind of diagnostic opinion through an online forum. It would be highly unethical of me.

10 years ago a male clinical psychologist assessed me for ASD and said it was hard to tell if I had it, so I didn't have it.

My therapist thinks I have ADHD with RSD and when I looked it up I agreed. It is physically painful for me to lie. I overexplain things all the time and I live in fear of "getting into trouble".

My local area says a private diagnosis isn't accepted by the NHS. I don't understand why not.

Is it worth me getting a formal diagnosis? Would the previous diagnosis go against me? My DH is convinced I am autistic and says diagnoses have moved on for women in the lat 10 years. I really want a prescription to see if it would help calm my symptoms.

I have a lot of questions about the idea of "neurodiversity" being seen as something that must be treated. I personally feel that neurodiversity is a marketing term as it is so inclusive that it doesn't mean anything. What most people mean is Neuro-atypical which are people who are unable to funcion.

I also wonder that now we are so focused on formalised education being the only path to success that it is more likely to try and force more people into diagnoses as a way of getting them to participate in education.

Nursing is a good example. I don't think to be a good nurse you actually need a BSc. qualification. Nursing is a very practical job and doesn't need to attract academics for the most part. If for example you wanted to be a nurse but you are naturally academic then it would be stressful for you to take a BSc. and those could be seen as symptoms, that wouldn't have been the case if the training was less essays and more practice.

@DisabledNurseofTiktok Thanks so much for this thread.

Question 1) My husband has diagnosed ADHD. He hyper fixates on a v particular hobby, hoards and very particular is very particular about certain things. He’s found it hard to hold onto jobs because 100% desk work makes it worse. I have to do anything that involves forms, so all bills and insurance. It became doubly apparent when I had my baby. He just couldn’t sort his mind out. Just even getting him to sterilse a bottle was an ordeal. I had to stand in front of the livingroom door to stop him getting distracted to get him to sort life insurance. His sense of prioritisation is just bonkers to me.

He’s tried Elevanse and the other meds M-phenylate (hopefully you’ll know what I mean). One made him nauseous while the other gave headaches. So he stopped. And that’s been it. He won’t pursue any other treatment. If this continues I’ll leave him eventually because he stresses me out so much. What non-pharm treatments and interventions do you see are successful?

Question 2) I have a two year old boy. I’ve been to the health visitor with him already. He passed the ASQ 2 except for communication. His speech is very far behind, but he does have a diagnoses of glue ear and moderate hearing loss. We’re awaiting surgery. So the assessment was inconclusive. They said they can’t assess for adhd until 6.

Despite the diagnosis of glue ear, I know something isn’t right. I have never been able to sit him on my knee and read a book. He’ll just close the book or rip the pages. He’s quite destructive with toys. Swipes a toddler jigsaw off a table if we try to engage him.
He has zero stranger danger: waves, smiles and is happy to see anyone. He’d literally walk up to Freddie Kruger and put his hands up to be lifted, often sits on the laps of strangers.

After 12 months at nursery, he’s only started crying at drop off recently. He’s only started calling me mama. When we go to the playground, groups, parties, he just spends it legging it around anything but the toys. I just feel like I’m constantly chasing much more than other parents are. I know most two year olds are nuts, but I really do notice the difference with him.

My husband won’t really acknowledge his own situation, so is very dismissive when I say anything about our son. I want the best for him and want to try given as early an intervention that I can. Some journals have suggested that early intervention can help with developing neural pathways to circumvent severity of condition. What can I do to help him? Are you able to spot adhd in small kids? What’s the youngest you’ve ever seen diagnosed? (Sorry for these novellas)

Hi OP thanks for doing this thread it’s very informative and supportive!

I think I have ADHD but I’m almost too scared/embarrassed to suggest this to anyone or go to a doctor. I feel like they’ll think I’m silly or won’t believe me. Could you explain the actual process or how I get things started towards a diagnosis? I just don’t feel confident enough and can’t bring myself to get in touch with the doctors about it. Or if anyone else on this thread has any tips on how they started on their path to a diagnosis I’d be grateful.

I’ve always thought that I was different and relate to a lot of the signs of being neurodiverse. However I can’t bring myself to get a diagnosis. Is it worth getting diagnosed for spotting the following in my life

• Socially awkward/ introverted and reserved
• small friendship circles
• struggle to focus when there is background noise (example if I’m in a room with multiple conversations I pick up on other convos and struggle to concentrate on the person/people infront of me)
• hyperfocus - e.g. zone out when watching something/ doing a hobby or an activity at work
• I think I’m abit of a workaholic
• Have been diagnosed with chronic depression as I get bad episodes
• I am academic though and I do pretty well at work - but struggle with the social side sometimes - but I can’t tell if that’s a culture clash, neurodiversity or me…

I guess my question is how do I (and maybe anyone else) know I’m neurodiverse or if this is just the make up of my personality?

Sorry, nothing to contribute at the moment but just placemarking so I can come back and read tomorrow. I've recently been diagnosed and have a lot of questions!

Are you able to tell the difference between ADHD and other untreated conditions, for eg refractory depression, and malnutrition (unstable ED). Oh and anxiety and OCD (intrusive thoughts).

Because this is my DD, and she gets frustrated as she has suggested she has ADHD for years but gets told the symptoms are possibly the other conditions. Which could very well be true, but what if they're not?
Plus of course a lot of ADHD meds are contraindicated with ED's.

Anyway she did eventually twist their arm but she's tried 2 x ADHD meds and had an adverse reaction to one, and intolerable side effects from the other. Currently trialling a TCA, so we'll see how that goes.

But I am very curious as to whether you would be able to tell the difference, or is it as difficult and overlapping as they say.

'Neurodiversity' just means the variation in neurotypes. People aren't 'neurodiverse' they are neurodivergent or neurotypical.

My DS2 aged 18 has recently been diagnosed. He used a Choose and Book via the NHS.

Would those companies on the Choose and Book have been assessed as having the correct qualifications etc and the methods they use deemed appropriate?

I'm just not 100% sure he has. When DS1 was diagnosed as ASD many years ago l knew this was correct.

This company used a computer program where he had to carry out tasks and spoke to him.

Do you see a lot of women misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder who turn out to have ADHD? Can the two coexist and, if so, how would they be treat?