A little into about me. I’m in my mid-forties, I live in Ohio, USA, and am on Medicaid. I suspect I have either ADD or ADHD but I can’t get diagnostic testing covered by Medicaid. What can I do to get testing or treatment? There are lots of “in-network” providers, but every time I get the focus to try and make an appointment no one answers their phones, or they’re not taking new patients, or they’re not in network after all. I’m so so so tired
Hey there. Went through something similar about five years ago now. For me, the path to testing was through depression and anxiety therapy. Went to sessions for about a year exploring CBT with no success, and I kept mentioning my issues focusing. Eventually my therapist recommended looking into medication, and had added ADHD to my diagnosis. The meds specialist I saw immediately recommended treatment via Vyvanse. I know this isn’t a straightforward path and might not work for you, but it got me to the point where there was at least some progress instead of constantly being stonewalled. A heads up, if you’re dealing with depression around your exhaustion and focus issues getting treatment for ADHD isn’t a cure all. I’m still working on a lot to try to get back to a healthy place. But it definitely makes it easier to work your way forward. Best of luck.
There’s also a chance that they continue to believe it’s treatment resistant depression and anxiety and refuse to even consider ADHD. That was my experience over a decade and at least a dozen doctors and therapists until I specifically sought out an evaluation. It’s also harder for women to get diagnosed, so that was probably a factor.
Yep, same path I took 2 years ago. Therapist started working with me on my anxiety, she quickly realized I had ADHD and it was a major driver of my anxiety, referred me to a psychiatrist who got me on Adderall and completely changed my life.
I think my next step (if taking to my PCP doesn’t do anything) would be to find a therapist and get a referral to a psychiatrist.
The hoops we have to jump through, and the many steps (that feel like walking through waist deep clay) just make me despair. It’s so much work just to get ahold of a human and make an appointment
Got any holiday plans? You can do it in another country easily and cheaply (and quickly).