Long story short, for the last 5 years or so, generally since becoming an adult, I’ve been feeling foggy, with loose memory (I can’t remember a verbal list of more than 3 things for the life of me; grasping for words; etc.), noticed I have a tendency to obsess over new hobbies, inability to do things that need done, general depressive thoughts, etc.

I mentioned to my primary care doctor in a recent visit that I wanted to talk about a possible ADHD diagnosis. The conversation went essentially like this.

“I want to talk about a possible diagnosis of ADHD, or autism, or something of that ilk. I know this isn’t really your area of expertise but I don’t know where else to go.”

“No, it is actually. Did you have trouble at school as a kid?”

“No”

“Are you able to complete your tasks at work?”

“Yes, for the most part”

“Ok, so for adult ADHD I generally recommend just lifestyle changes. Do you drink coffee? Caffeine has been shown to help.”

After suggesting I drink coffee she ended the conversation and moved on to review some other unrelated concerns I’d brought.

Does this sound like a reasonable conversation? How did the conversation go with your doctors when you first brought up the possibility of ADHD? I feel like I was completely written off. She never asked about why I was asking about an ADHD diagnosis. I just feel like after gaining the courage to speak with my doctor about something that seems intimate to me, I was just ignored.