Getting officially tested tomorrow -- what to expect? Tips? Thoughts?
Hey, everyone, long-time lurker first-time poster! I was diagnosed by my therapist 4 years ago at 19, and it suddenly made my whole life make sense. I take Wellbutrin for my ADHD, which helps me a lot with the hyperactivity but not my focus, and to get prescribed stimulants my psychiatrist needs me to get officially tested. So! I was finally able to make an appointment, and I'm kind of freaking out.
I'm 100% sure I have ADHD, but I'm still worried about the process and what the results will say. A major reason I wasn't diagnosed earlier is because I'm very good at testing, like a lot of you (adrenaline is a POWERFUL force). For those of you who've had official testing, what was that experience like for you? Did you get the results you expected? Any tips on how to approach this? The appointment is tomorrow so any advice/support you can give would be really appreciated.
Posted Sep 16, 2021, 11:50 PM UTC
Hi! The testing varies so I’m not sure if there’s a great answer. For me, there were 3 tests I had to go through: the first was a survey I did about my perception of my current and past situations, then the same survey was given to my husband to compare results. This was more of a “is there something here? If so, how far off is my perception from how others see me?” Based on those results, the tests continued.
The second test was sitting in front of a computer by myself with black letters that flashed on a screen for 15 minutes or so. The goal was to hit the space bar on a keypad anytime I saw a letter, except the letter “X.” That test measured 3 things: impulsivity, attention, and I think vigilance? It was a weird way to put it, that’s what I remember more.
The test after that I haven’t done yet but involves sitting with a psychologist who I don’t have a history with and answering questions that test my memory, impulsivity, and other things.
You may have different tests, it depends on what your psychiatrist wants to measure. What I learned is that there’s no binary “yes you have it” “no you don’t.” It’s more “you have these tendencies which, when putting it all together very much resemble the DSM-5 definition of ADHD and can proceed with treatment” or “whatever you’ve got, it’s not really aligning with classic ADHD.”
That said, that’s how my psychologist has explained it. He could be way different than yours so YMMV. But good luck!